Vol. 38, No. 2 n Program notes ... · Guy Whitesman • John Wolf • Sherri Zucker Executive Director: Alan Isaacs Program Director: Leni Sack Executive Assistant: Lori Ramos Jewish

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www.JewishFederationLCC.org Vol. 38, No. 2 n October 2015 / 5776

To donate to the Federation’s 2015 Annual Campaign, call 239.481.4449 or visit www.JewishFederationLCC.org.

BRIEFSProgram notes

n Leni Sack

The Jewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties

proudly presents

SPECIAL AUTHOR EVENT DINING WITH DIVAS with Nothing Like a Dame author, Eddie Shapiro

Eddie Shapiro has great stories to share about some of the amazing women of musical theater.

Thursday, October 22 6:30 p.m.

Enjoy a delicious dinner, be entertained and who knows…

a few divas may make a surprise appearance!

FineMark National Bank & Trust 12681 Creekside Lane

Fort Myers 33919

Couvert: $18/person R.S.V.P. by October 16 to Leni Sack

239.481.4449 x 3 or [email protected]

Thank you to FineMark for its generous sponsorship.

The history of musical theater is full of incredible, indelible female roles” is a quote from

the foreword of Eddie Shapiro’s book, Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical The-ater. The book is a collection of exclu-

sive interviews with twenty of the greatest lead-ing women of Broadway.

Eddie Shap-iro will be in Fort Myers on Thurs-day, October 22 at 6:30 p.m. to share his experi-

ences interviewing, among others, the cantankerous, outspoken and utterly charming Elaine Stritch over tea at the Caryle on Thanksgiving, chatting with 84-year-old Angela Lansbury in her Manhattan apartment, and talking with contemporary stars Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel about their roles in Wicked. Each of Eddie’s interviews is guided by his expert knowledge of these women’s careers, Broadway lore, and details of some of Broad-way’s most famous (and infamous) musicals.

Eddie grew up singing (quite loud-ly, he says) the music of Broadway. There is not a cast album he doesn’t know by heart or a show he hasn’t seen over the last 30 years. He has at-tended more than 1,200 Broadway per-formances! Eddie is a freelance writer and theater journalist. He is funny and charming, and you won’t want to miss this wonderful event.

I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say there may be a Fort Myers spotting of a diva or two that same evening!

This author event, which includes a delicious dinner, is graciously spon-sored by FineMark National Bank and Trust, and will be held at its 12681 Creekside Lane location in Fort Myers. The cost is $18 per person. RSVP by Friday, October 16 to 239.481.4449 x3 or [email protected].

Eddie (and any divas present) will be happy to autograph any books pur-chased that evening or books that are brought to the event.

On Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m., the newly formed Jewish Young Professionals group will host a potluck dinner in the Jewish Federation Com-munity Room. Following a successful kickoff Happy Hour in September, the

group will continue to make plans for the upcoming year. If you know of any young Jewish professionals ages 25-40 in Lee or Charlotte counties, please have them contact me.

Charlotte County will hold a Com-munity Breakfast, co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation and Temple Shalom in Port Charlotte on Sunday, Novem-ber 1 at 11:00 a.m. Jewish residents of Charlotte County are invited to Temple Shalom to enjoy a delicious breakfast and watch a wonderful documentary, The Sturgeon Queens, about the fa-mous Russ and Daughters fish empo-rium of the Lower East Side of Man-hattan that continues to survive and thrive. The documentary was shown to a sold-out crowd at the Community Breakfast held in Fort Myers last year. To reserve a spot, please call or email me, or RSVP to Temple Shalom mem-ber Odette Port at 941.505.1409 or [email protected]. The cost is $10 per person.

On a final note for this month, if you are interested in a weekly canas-ta or gin rummy game, please let me know.

Chag Sameach! Have a fun Sim-chat Torah!

“ISRAEL’S POPULATION: 8.4 MILLIONOn the eve of the Jewish New Year 5776, Israel’s population numbers 8,412,000, the Central Bureau of Sta-tistics said Tuesday, September 8.

The Jewish population numbers 6.3 million (74.9%), the Arab popula-tion 1,746,000 (20.7%), and there are 366,000 (4.4%) non-Arab Christians and others.

In the past year 28,000 immigrants arrived, mostly from Ukraine, France, Russia and the U.S. (Yaron Druckman, Ynet News)

TINY ISRAEL IS GIANT WHEN IT COMES TO NOBEL PRIZES Times Higher Education recently ranked Israel fifth best in the world for overall Nobel performance this cen-tury.

In a separate table ranking global academic institutions by their Nobel Prize winners, the Technion-Israel In-stitute of Technology came in eighth, beating Harvard and every British uni-versity, and coming just one place after MIT. (Nathan Jeffay, Jewish Chronicle - UK)

ISRAEL LISTED AS FOURTH BEST PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY Israel was listed in fourth place out of 41 countries in the 2015 InterNations Family Life Index released recently.

The Family Life Index ranks coun-tries according to availability and costs of childcare and education, quality of education, and family well-being. (Je-rusalem Post)

ISRAEL 6TH IN HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCYA new study published in the medical journal Lancet puts Israel sixth in the rankings for healthy life expectancy among 188 countries.

“Healthy life expectancy” takes into account not just mortality rates, but also years of life without terminal disease. (Itay Gal, Ynet News)

POLL: HALF OF JERUSALEM ARABS WANT TO BE ISRAELIS52% of Palestinians living in Jerusalem told pollsters they would prefer “Israeli citizenship with equal rights,” while 42% prefer to be Palestinian citizens when a Palestinian state is established, Israel Channel 2 TV reported recently. A similar poll in 2010 found that 1/3 of east Jerusalem Arabs preferred Israeli cit-izenship to Palestinian. Almost 40% said Jews “have rights to the land, together with Palestinians.” (Times of Israel)

more briefs on page 16

2 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties

L’CHAYIM invites correspondence on subjects of interest to Jewish people. Partisan political opinions will not be published, but opinions on subjects affecting the Jewish community are welcome. All inquiries regarding copy for L’CHAYIM should be directed to the editor. All news material must be very clearly printed or typed (not in all-capital letters) and double-spaced. Electronic submissions encouraged. The editor reserves the right to edit for space and content.

Photographs should be clear, black-and-white or color prints. If you wish a photograph returned, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope of appropriate size.

The Jewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties disclaims responsibility or endorsement of the views expressed by the writers and claims by advertisers.

Jewish news published monthly byJewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties

9701 Commerce Center Court, Fort Myers, FL 33908 (239) 481-4449 • Fax: (239) 481-0139

Online at www.JewishFederationLCC.orgn

October 2015 • Volume 38, Number 2n

Co-Presidents: Barbara Siegel & Rozzi OstermanBoard: Paul Bartrop • Larry Eisenfeld • Herb Fried

Carolyn Gora • Jerry Greenfield • Andi HorowitzCharles Idelson • Marsha Kistler • Sara Krivisky Michele Laboda • JoAnn Lewin • Sylvia Simko

Jerry Snyderman • Paul Weinstein Guy Whitesman • John Wolf • Sherri Zucker

Executive Director: Alan IsaacsProgram Director: Leni Sack

Executive Assistant: Lori RamosJewish Family Services: Lisa Bendetowicz, M.S.W.

nEditor/Designer: Ted Epstein (239) 249-0699

Advertising: Jim Lewin (239) 634-6923n

NOVEMBER ISSUE EDITORIAL DEADLINE:Wednesday, October 7

FEDERATION

In this issue: 3 Our Community 8 Jewish Interest 15 Israel & the Jewish World 17 Marketplace 18 Commentary 20 From the Bimah 22 Focus on Youth 22 Organizations 25 Temple News 25 Community Directory 27 Community Calendar

TRIBUTES

JYP POTLUCK DINNER Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Jewish Federation Community Room 9701 Commerce Center Ct., Fort Myers 33908

RSVP to Leni at [email protected] or 239.481.4449 x3

DAIRY OR PARVE DISHES ONLY, PLEASE

JYP is for young Jewish adults, 25 to 40 years of age.

The group is dedicated to bringing together singles and couples for social, philanthropic & networking events.

Sundays, October 4*, 11, 18, 25

at 4:00 p.m. in the Jewish Federation

Community Room

All ages (10 to 96) are welcome to join us. All levels of dance experience are welcome. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a water bottle

AND A FRIEND, THE MORE THE MERRIER. *The first class of each month

will begin at 3:30 for beginners or anyone wanting to review dances.

RSVP necessary each week to Marsha Kistler [email protected]

Jewish Federation 9701 Commerce Center Ct.

Fort Myers 33908

CHARLOTTE COUNTY BRUNCH AND MOVIE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 11:00 a.m

Enjoy a delicious breakfast and watch The Sturgeon Queens, a delightful documentary about four generations of a Jewish immigrant family that create a Lower East Side fish emporium. Lox, bagels and whitefish… need we say more?

Held at: Temple Shalom 23190 Utica Avenue Port Charlotte 33949 Couvert: $10/person

RSVP by Wed., October 28 to Leni Sack at [email protected] or 239.481.4449 x3 or Odette Port at [email protected] or 941.286.1409

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO ATTEND Co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties

and Temple Shalom of Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf Islands.

PURIM FESTIVAL

www.JewishFederationLCC.org Federation Events 2015 ~ 2016

For a continuously updated calendar of events, visit www.JewishFederationLCC.org.

3 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesFEDERATION / OUR COMMUNITY

TRIBUTESThe leadership and staff of the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte

Counties extend condolences to Lore Rosenstrauch and her family on the death of her husband, Alfred (Fred) Rosenstrauch.

Sunday March 1st

The Jewish Federation Annual Campaign provides the resources to strengthen and enrich our Jewish community locally, in Israel and around the world.

YOUR SUPPORT

Promote KINDNESS Share your

MITZVAH

Strengthen & enrich JEWISH COMMUNITY Honor/

Remember A LOVED ONE

This year please consider making an additional campaign contribution in honor or in memory of a loved one. Because kindness is contagious we would like to highlight your generosity in L’CHAYIM and notify personally those whom

you honor. You may choose how your generosity is noted and how we share your mitzvah with our community.

Each month, L’CHAYIM will list your Life Cycle events – births, B’nai Mitzvah, engagements, etc.

Submit your events to [email protected].

FOOD PANTRYThe Federation thanks the following for their generous donations to the

Federation Food Pantry:Anonymous Angels

Lila WilliamsonMellow Mah Jongg Ladies

Israeli DancersGene & Andrea Sipe

Rabbi Marc & Leni SackCathy & Jay Rosman

Marcia & Joe GoldbergTemple Beth ElTemple Judea

Temple Judea PreschoolJoyce Bell (Shalom Life Center)

Each Tuesday afternoon, an open session of Mah Jongg is held at the Jewish Federation.

Players must be at least advanced beginners, as no lessons are given.

DAY: Tuesdays, 12:30~3:30 P.M. FEE: $1 per week

for more information call Rona Strausberg at 239.949.9003

Sundays, October 4*, 11, 18, 25

at 4:00 p.m. in the Jewish Federation

Community Room

All ages (10 to 96) are welcome to join us. All levels of dance experience are welcome. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a water bottle

AND A FRIEND, THE MORE THE MERRIER. *The first class of each month

will begin at 3:30 for beginners or anyone wanting to review dances.

RSVP necessary each week to Marsha Kistler [email protected]

Jewish Federation 9701 Commerce Center Ct.

Fort Myers 33908







Abdul Haq Muhammed to speak at Temple JudeaAbdul Haq Muhammed, the

founder and Executive Direc-tor of the Quality Life Center

(QLC), will speak at Temple Judea af-ter Shabbat services on Friday evening, October 23.

The QLC, founded in 1990, offers pro-grams of youth devel-opment, adult job train-ing and early childhood education. Under Mr. Muhammed’s leader-ship, the QLC works to enhance character de-velopment, combat vio-lence and drug abuse, reverse the “victim” mentalit,y and tackle the negative self-image found among people from disadvantaged homes. The QLC instills values of integrity, discipline, responsibility and community through multidisciplinary prevention and inter-vention programs.

Mr. Muhammed is a native of Har-lem, in New York City, where he went to college. He co-founded the Woody-crest Center for Human Development in the Bronx where he was Director of Youth Programs as well as Board

Chairman. He has spoken at many universities, including Brown, Vassar, NYU and Columbia. He has trained chaplains in counseling inmates at Riker’s Island and Sing Sing prisons.

Mr. Muhammed works collabora-tively with the City of Fort Myers, Children’s Network, Florida De-partment of Education, United Way and Work-force Florida. He is a co-founder and Chairman of the 21st Century Collabo-ration, a committee of community trustees and faith-based leaders who committed to building stronger neighborhoods in our community.

Mr. Muhammed re-ceived the “Florida Finest” award from Governor Lawton Chiles, Person of the Year award from The News-Press, Lib-erty Bell award from Lee County Bar Association, and the Face award from Gulfshore Business magazine.

The program is open to the pub-lic. Those joining Temple Judea for dinner should contact the office at 239.433.0201.

Abdul Haq Muhammed

For a continuously updated calendar of events, visit www.JewishFederationLCC.org.

4 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties OUR COMMUNITY

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Exciting guest speaker to kick off Collier/Lee Hadassah seasonBy Lanny Rashbaum

5 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesOUR COMMUNITY

By Amy Snyder, Executive Director, Holocaust Museum & Education Center of SWFL

n Amy Snyder

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Learn about:

• Beliefs & Prayer • Shabbat, Holidays and Dietary Laws • Ethics and Values • History and Modern Communities

Begins: Sunday, October 11, 2015 11:00 – Noon

For more information, contact Rabbi Marc Sack 239-433-0201

[email protected]

14486 A & W Bulb Rd. Fort Myers, FL 33908

239-433-0201

Picturebook History exhibit – how the Museum impacts children with these stories

Florida is one of the few states which mandate the teaching of the Holocaust in its school sys-

tems. Our Museum is honored to be an active member of the Florida Depart-ment of Education Commissioner’s Task Force on Holocaust Education (FLHolocaustEducationTaskForce.org).

As a Task Force member and Education Center, we are well aware of the need to intro-duce children to the subject of the Holocaust in an age-appropriate way. Our educa-

tion programming reaches students in grades K-12 and through the college/university level in five counties in Southwest Florida. Obviously, we ap-proach the subject of the Holocaust and World War II differently with a 5th grader than with a college sophomore.

One of the most effective teaching

tools we use to inform the upper elemen-tary age segment is the “picture book.” The main subject of these masterfully illustrated volumes is often a child or group of children about the same age as the youngsters in our programs. Whether primarily set in the era of World War II, or transitioning between the past and the present, the books in-troduce the sensitive subject matter of the Holocaust in a way that the students can easily comprehend and digest. The stories hold their interest, while clearly defining the fight between the “good” guys and the “bad” guys. Children to-day are more attuned to the concept of “good” versus “evil” because they are surrounded by the 24-hour news cycle, which features more bad news than good. Students can readily identify those who are victimized, considered “other” and given less respect by society. They also recognize the aggressors and the impact of their actions and policies on the “others.”

The combination of personal stories and evocative illustrations also allow

students to emotionally connect with the Holo-caust. Students are able to see the frightening paral-lels between past societal aggressions and today’s events. They see the far-reaching impact on people when respect for others is missing, and maltreatment of “others” takes hold.

Since the 2001-2002 school year, the Museum’s education programs have reached over 145,000 stu-

dents in Southwest Florida. Each child has participated in structured learning activ-ities and/or Museum field trips, specifically designed to help them understand the necessity of treating others with respect, and the conse-quences when that doesn’t happen. While they find it hard to truly comprehend the vast level of human suf-fering brought on by Nazi policies, they can relate on a personal level to the tragic story of the boy or girl and their im-mediate family members in the picture books we use.

At the end of each of our programs, whether on-site at a school or in the Museum after a field trip, we ask each student for a commitment. We ask that they take a small step that can lead to a big change, by making a positive impact in their own family and their communities.

This November the Museum will present a new exhibit, Picturebook His-tory: Telling the Story to Children.

The core of the exhibit will feature the paintings created for the book Irena

Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto by artist/illustrator Bill Farn-sworth, who has donated the paintings to the Museum. A selection of the picture-

books used in our programs will also be on display, and associated events are being planned. For more informa-tion, visit www.HolocaustMuse-umSWFL.org or

contact the Museum at info@Holocaust MuseumSWFL.org.

Artist Bill Farnsworth discusses his work at the Museum

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Exciting guest speaker to kick off Collier/Lee Hadassah seasonBy Lanny Rashbaum

The Collier/Lee Chapter of Hadas-sah is excited to announce that Professor Bertold Fridlender

will be the special guest speaker at its opening Fall Luncheon on Tuesday, October 27 at 10:45 a.m. at The Club at Olde Cypress in Naples.

Fridlender is the President of the Hadassah Academic College in Jerusa-lem. The college is rated the number one institute to study at in Jerusalem, and number six among all Israeli universities and colleges.

Hadassah Academic College’s pro-grams anticipate Israel’s future needs by offering degrees in Biotechnology, Medical Lab Studies, Optometry, Com-munication Disorders, Environmental Health Sciences, Computer Science and many more. Some of the amazing facts about the college are that 85% of all students find employment in their field upon graduation, and 92% of all students successfully complete their degrees!

Professor Fridlender will talk about how diversity can unify. Hadassah Aca-demic College is proud to have students of all beliefs and cultures. The Collier/Lee Chapter of Hadassah extends an invitation to anyone who would be interested in attending this outstanding program. Nonmembers, spouses, As-sociates and friends are encouraged to attend. The cost of the luncheon is $28 per person. Reservations are required. For more information, please contact Elyse Morande at 239.498.0623 or [email protected], or Lynn Weiner at 239.598.1009 or [email protected], or me at 239.591.8624 or [email protected].

One of our members who recently visited the college stated, “I have never met a man as dedicated, enthusiastic and proud of what he does.” Professor Fridlender is an excellent speaker and we are thrilled that he is making Naples one of his stops in the U.S.

6 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties OUR COMMUNITY

The next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy SIG (Shared Interest Group) at the Jewish Federation of Collier County offices (2500 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 2201, Naples)

is on Tuesday, October 13 at 10:00 a.m.Seating is limited. RSVP to [email protected].

You will receive an acknowledgement that you have a reservation. Bring a notebook and pen

with you to the meeting.

Community Free Synagogue events open to the community

Six-week class in Jewish Laws and PracticesThe Community Free Syna-

gogue will offer a six-week class in readings from The Kitzur Shulhan Arukh (Abbreviated Code of Jewish Law), taught by Rabbi Bruce Diamond from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on consecutive Thursdays starting October 8 at CFS, 10868 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers.

In the middle of the 19th century, Hungarian Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried compiled what is now a classic Jew-ish reference book: The Kitzur Shul-han Arukh. This one-volume book is a distillation of the much larger four-volume Shulhan Arurkh created by 16th-century Sephardic Rabbi Joseph Caro, a refugee from the Spanish In-quisition who settled in the Galilean town of Safed.

In his “Kitzur,” Ganzfried extract-ed the essential laws and customs most likely to have been followed by obser-vant Jews of his day such as kashrut, Sabbath and holidays, family law, synagogue and community, tsedaqah, and death, dying and mourning. They followed the more stringent northern Ashkenazi approach.

The class is open to all at no charge.A Learning Journey to Buy a TorahOn Sunday, November 22, the Com-munity Free Synagogue will send a bus of participants to the “Sofer on Site” workshop in North Miami Beach to purchase another Torah scroll for the congregation.

Before selecting the Torah, C.F.S.ers will learn about the differ-ent regional styles of Torah scrolls as well the basic laws and techniques em-ployed to create them. They will then choose the synagogue’s new Torah from a selection of scrolls and bring it back to Fort Myers for its formal in-stallation in the Ark during the syna-gogue’s 10th Anniversary Banquet on Sunday evening, December 6.

The synagogue’s first Torah was purchased at its inception on eBay from a merchant in Haifa. Created over two centuries ago in Aleppo, Syria, it arrived simply as a scroll without handles and in need of considerable attention. C.F.S.er Joseph Mizrahi, a professional finish carpenter, made the

Torah rollers by hand, and then created an Ark to house it.

“What I did for this Torah, it has paid us back a thousand times,” noted Mizrahi. “I’m glad it will now have company in my Aron Qodesh!” he added.

The synagogue intends to make its original scroll available as a commu-nity resource when it is not needed for C.F.S. use.

The synagogue has reserved the Big Apple Deli in North Miami Beach for lunch after the visit to the scribe.

The bus leaves at 9:00 a.m. from the synagogue’s parking lot at 10868 Metro Parkway and will return around 7:00 p.m.

There is no charge for the bus ride but reservations are a must. To make yours, email [email protected] or call the synagogue’s message center at 239.274.7485. The trip is limited to 35 passengers. Lunch is a la carte.The Community Free Synagogue’s 10th Anniversary BanquetThe Community Free Synagogue will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a ca-tered banquet on Sunday, December 6, the first night of Hanukah, at 6:30 p.m. at its home at 10868 Metro Pkwy.

The high point of the banquet will be the installation of the synagogue’s new Torah scroll purchased to mark this milestone and to honor the memo-ry of Rabbi Diamond’s father who died in August.

The evening will begin with light-ing of the synagogue’s large outdoor public Hanukah menorah, and then personal ones at each banquet table. Traditional Hanukah songs will be led by the synagogue’s Shirat Hayam Mu-sical Ensemble.

Before dessert a PowerPoint pic-torial retrospective on C.F.S.’s first 10 years will be presented. If you have photos you wish to include in this presentation, please forward them to [email protected] along with the story behind each picture.

The banquet is free and without solicitation of funds. Reservations are limited to 150 participants. To make yours, email [email protected] or call the synagogue’s message center at 239.274.7485.

Where does the soul go after it departs this world?Chabad of Cape Coral offers a new course on the spiritual side of existence.

Some questions are universal to the human experience. Is there life after death? What happens

to the soul after we die? What is it like for those who have traveled over to the Great Beyond? These are but a few of the questions addressed in the newest course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI).

Beginning Monday, October 26, Chabad of Cape Coral will present “The Journey of the Soul,” a new six-session fall 2015 course. Rabbi Yossi Labkowski will conduct the sessions on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Chabad of Cape Coral, 1716 Cape Coral Pkwy., W.

“The Journey of the Soul” provides spiritual insight into the soul’s journey through life, death and beyond, as well as ancient Jewish wisdom that sheds light on the philosophical, emotional and practical aspects of coping with death and mourning.

“Science knows very little about the soul and what happens to it post-mortem,” said Rabbi Labkowski. “It’s about what is truly valuable and mean-ingful in life, which is relevant to ev-eryone, and many have expressed their curiosity to learn about the topic, so we’re expecting a good turnout.”

Professor Sheldon Solomon of Skidmore College, who co-authored the book The Worm at the Core: On the

Role of Death in Life, commented about the JLI course: “This course strikes me as a very fine juxtaposition of ancient theological wisdom with contemporary empirical science. My sense is that this will be an interesting and rewarding educational and personal experience.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by other experts in the field, including Professor Jeff Greenberg of University of Arizona; Dr. Casey Skvorc from the National Institutes of Health; Pamela Blair, co-author of I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye; and Bianca Nogrady, author of The End: The Human Experi-ence of Death.

The course is being offered in joint sponsorship with the Washington School of Psychiatry, enabling medi-cal and mental health professionals to earn up to 7.5 AMA, APA, CBBS and ASWB continuing education credits.

Like all previous JLI programs, Journey of the Soul is designed to ap-peal to people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular syna-gogue or temple.

Interested students may call 239.963.4770 or visit www.chabad cape.com for registration and other course-related information.

Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies

Dedicated to educating all sectors of society about Jewish civilization, the Holocaust, and genocide through:• scholarship• outreach• inquiry• sharing knowledge• preserving the record• helping teachers• encouraging students

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7 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesOUR COMMUNITY

Torah rollers by hand, and then created an Ark to house it.

“What I did for this Torah, it has paid us back a thousand times,” noted Mizrahi. “I’m glad it will now have company in my Aron Qodesh!” he added.

The synagogue intends to make its original scroll available as a commu-nity resource when it is not needed for C.F.S. use.

The synagogue has reserved the Big Apple Deli in North Miami Beach for lunch after the visit to the scribe.

The bus leaves at 9:00 a.m. from the synagogue’s parking lot at 10868 Metro Parkway and will return around 7:00 p.m.

There is no charge for the bus ride but reservations are a must. To make yours, email [email protected] or call the synagogue’s message center at 239.274.7485. The trip is limited to 35 passengers. Lunch is a la carte.The Community Free Synagogue’s 10th Anniversary BanquetThe Community Free Synagogue will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a ca-tered banquet on Sunday, December 6, the first night of Hanukah, at 6:30 p.m. at its home at 10868 Metro Pkwy.

The high point of the banquet will be the installation of the synagogue’s new Torah scroll purchased to mark this milestone and to honor the memo-ry of Rabbi Diamond’s father who died in August.

The evening will begin with light-ing of the synagogue’s large outdoor public Hanukah menorah, and then personal ones at each banquet table. Traditional Hanukah songs will be led by the synagogue’s Shirat Hayam Mu-sical Ensemble.

Before dessert a PowerPoint pic-torial retrospective on C.F.S.’s first 10 years will be presented. If you have photos you wish to include in this presentation, please forward them to [email protected] along with the story behind each picture.

The banquet is free and without solicitation of funds. Reservations are limited to 150 participants. To make yours, email [email protected] or call the synagogue’s message center at 239.274.7485. PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS

WHO SUPPORT OUR FEDERATION & HELP MAKE L’CHAYIM POSSIBLE.

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This month’s advertisers

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Kays Ponger & Uselton.............20Lee Lighting..............................17Charles Massie, CPA, CFP®.....17Michael Shapiro Photography...21Nash Insurance & Associates....10Paragon Pools............................17P.B.S. Photograhpy Studio........22PCC Tile....................................17Pepper Pet Sitting......................17Riverland Nursery.....................16Dr. Louis Rosenfield.................17Alan J. Rubinstein, Attorney......17Ryder Orthopaedics..................17Snyderman’s Shoes...................17Douglas Spiegel, Attorney.........17Taschner Periodontics.................6Temple Beth El.........................14Temple Judea.........................5,15The Brisket Brothers BBQ........10The Palms.................................19Bob Vinikoor.............................17Paul Weinstein, CFP®................17

Screening of The Voyage of the St. LouisOn Sunday, October 18 at 5:00

p.m. at Beth Tikvah (1459 Pine Ridge Road, Naples) there will

be a presentation of the film The Voyage of the St. Louis.

The film is the story of a tragic and too little known episode in the history of the Holocaust. In an effort to flee Nazi Germany, 937 German Jewish refugees sailed from Hamburg, Germany, on May 15, 1939, on the S.S. St. Louis and reached Havana, Cuba, on May 27, 1939. The Cuban government refused entry to nearly all of the passengers into Cuba. Later, the passengers, who could see the lights of Miami, were denied entry into the U.S. The St. Louis was doomed to sail back to Hamburg. After feverish negotiations, and with the assistance of the ship’s captain, Gustav Schroeder, the governments of Holland, Belgium, England and France agreed to accept the refugees. Soon afterward the passengers shared the fate of other European Jews.

Steve Brazina, Program Chair of GenShoah SWFL, will present this film in cooperation with the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County as the first in a series of events relating to the St. Louis. Martin Goldsmith, NPR radio host and author of Alex’s Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St. Louis to Flee Nazi German and a Grandson’s Journey of Love and Remembrance, will be the keynote speaker at the Kristallnacht Commemoration on Sunday, November 8 at 2:30 p.m. at St. William Church, 601 Seagate Drive, Naples.

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Shalom, there will be a presentation of Complicit: The Untold Story of Why the Roosevelt Administration Denied Safe Haven to Jewish Refugees, by Robert Krakow, the producer of the film.

For information and reservations please email [email protected] or call Ida Margolis at 239.963.9347.

By Ida Margolis

Have you been thinking of forgiveness lately? Readers of The Sunflower have

Asking for forgiveness was likely on the mind of many individu-als during the recent Day of

Atonement. Did you ask someone you wronged for forgiveness? “Why do we forgive? Can we forgive crimes com-mitted against other people? Are some acts just unforgiveable?” are just some of the relevant questions presented in The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesen-thal. This book has been selected as the “One Book Southwest Florida” for the 2015-16 season.

Wiesenthal asked readers to put themselves in a position of a prisoner in a concentration camp when a dy-ing Nazi soldier asked for forgiveness. Then Wiesenthal asked, “What would you do?” This question was posed to a number of prominent men and women, and their responses along with Wiesen-thal’s brief story were published in

The Sunflower. This book quickly be-came a classic of Holocaust literature, as well as a book used at many colleges and in interfaith dialogues.

The selection of this world famous book follows the highly successful in-augural “One Book Southwest Florida” with hundreds of people in our area dis-cussing Gertruda’s Oath by Ram Oren. The “One Book Southwest Florida” reading program is based on the very popular “One Book One Community” programs that have been held through-out the U.S. The goal of these programs is to engage the community in dialogue, to promote understanding, and to serve as a springboard for the discussion of important topics. The reading of the variety of responses from individuals of diverse beliefs and backgrounds is designed to challenge people to define their beliefs about justice, compassion and human responsibility.

GenShoah of Southwest Florida, in conjunction with the Collier County Pub-lic Library and the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Flori-da, will be sponsor-ing the “One Book Southwest Florida” program along with the Naples Daily News as the media sponsor.

There will be many discussions of The Sunflower at local libraries in Col-lier and Lee counties, at the Holocaust Museum, and by local organizations throughout Southwest Florida. Discus-sion dates include Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holocaust Museum, and Tuesday, November 17 at 2:00 p.m. at Naples Regional Library.

In addition to discussions and re-lated events and films, several exciting culminating events will take place in January when Mark Weitzman, Di-

rector of Government Affairs and the Task Force Against Hate and Terrorism for the Wiesenthal Center, will be in Southwest Florida. In addition to ap-pearances in Lee County and the South Regional Library in Collier County, Mr. Weitzman will be making a special appearance at Temple Shalom on Thurs-day, January 21 at 7:00 p.m. Sponsor-ship reserved seating will be available at Temple Shalom.

For more information, contact me at [email protected] or 239.963.9347.

One Book committee members Amy Snyder, Ida Margolis, Pat DeGroot and Steve Brazina discuss The Sunflower

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8 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties OUR COMMUNITY / JEWISH INTEREST

Stay connected all month long atwww.JewishFederationLCC.org

Stars of DavidBy Nate Bloom, Contributing ColumnistEditor’s note: Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish.

Editor: YoniGlatt, [email protected] Solution on page 18This puzzle is about non-Jews who have played prominent Jewish roles.

Jerusalem Post Crossword Puzzle“Acting Jewish” By David Benkof & Byron Kerman Difficulty Level: Easy

Across1. Bet preceder?6. Non-kosher critter with a shell10. It beat Spielberg’s “Lincoln” for Best Picture14. 1956 Frank Loesser musical “The Most Happy ___”15. Singer McEntire who starred on Broadway in “Annie Get Your Gun”16. Kind of Haifa tide17. Gets a golem under control18. Kaput19. Animator whose character Mickey once did an Orthodox-style dance20. Armand Goldman in “The Birdcage”23. Articles included in “Mein Kampf”24. Mistake an Amish person for a Hasid25. Website filled with think pieces about Judaism29. Get ___ (succeed at Ida Crown Jewish Academy)30. Shape of Noah’s rainbow33. Erik Lehnsherr in “X-Men”36. Call a “Dirty Jew”37. Place on the head to find a yarmulke38. God, to Josephus39. Actor Alan whose wife Arlene is Jewish40. Word you might fine in a limerick about Jewish cats41. Tuvia Bielski in “Defiance”45. Org. overseen by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew46. Sandy Koufax’s was 2.76 over his career47. They make up 12 percent of Syria’s population48. Observed shiva49. It’s 20 minutes from the Lower East Side51. David Greene in “School Ties”57. “I, ___ Scott” (slave bio by Sheila P. Moses)58. Delete a photo of a woman from a Haredi publication59. Book that mentions Abraham, Joseph and Moses61. Part of “hagafen”62. Part of the costume of Bob Kane’s Batman63. Israeli gum-maker64. “Naftali is a swift ___” (Genesis 49:21)65. Eating carrots on Rosh Hashanah, e.g.66. Archaic biblical word for “Thou accomplish”

Down1. Org. of educators Rahm Emanuel negotiated with in 20122. “All in the Family” creator Norman3. Muppet who learned what “todah” means from Seth Rogen4. Member of the Roman legion5. Lubavitch, e.g.6. ___ Heights riot7. Jeans maker Strauss and others8. First murder victim9. Actress Dietrich who dated Josef von Sternberg10. Big name among 20th century Egyptians11. One of many needed to print the Talmud12. Israeli actress Gadot and others13. Make something chosen21. Chicken part often used as a Passover shankbone22. Whence Persian Jews25. City in Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s (D-Fl.) district26. “The Frisco Kid,” e.g.27. Makes Mt. Hermon whiter28. Bit of equipment for Matisyahu29. Plant sometimes buried with Jewish bodies in the Second Temple Period30. Gloria Allred is this kind of attorney31. They’re one way to measure bagels32. Sinai sights34. Harvey Fierstein’s “Hairpray” role35. Souvenir from Bette Midler’s home state39. Constellation whose name is Latin for “altar”41. Brandeis bigwig42. Design movement by Gustave Kaitz and others43. 1930s Lion of Judah?44. Justice Stephen Breyer, when he’s on the bench48. Passover meal that Israelis enjoy just once a year49. Kvetch50. Frequency Jews win Nobel Prizes51. It’s cut with a milchig knife52. ___ Belloq, villain in Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark”53. Father of 8-Down54. Ford’s character in 2015’s “Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens”55. Suez alternative56. Some characters in “An American Tail”57. It might contain a Woody Allen flick60. Brooklyn player, in Silver’s league

Temple Beth Shalom’s first Brotherhood meeting of the seasonThe August meeting of Temple

Beth Shalom’s Brotherhood was the real beginning of the

year. Along with Ruthie Belkin, who is an honorary member, four new faces who do so much for the temple were added to the group. Right off the bat, the Brotherhood passed a proposal to pay for professional trimming of all the temple’s trees and shrubs. Then a number of activities were proposed for the year, which always include the an-nual Brotherhood latke party for Ha-

nukkah, ushering the High Holiday services, the bowling league, the golf tournament, an annual picnic, and ush-ering and closing the temple on Friday nights.

Besides these activities, the Broth-erhood started planning for attend-ing a ball game and a fishing expedi-tion, among others. It is always a busy schedule from September through May with the Temple Beth Shalom Brother-hood.

Temple Beth Shalom sisterhood’s fun eventTBS Sisterhood knows how to

prepare for fun! In anticipation of our upcoming “How to Taste

Wine Like a Pro” event on Wednesday, November 18, the women gathered on Wednesday, September 2, for food, music and glass painting. Everyone’s artistic ability was on tap as drinking glasses were painted in various wine motifs. A fun time was had by all and

we look forward to seeing everyone on November 18!

Emily Lowenstein and Rhetta Kanen

Georgette BothernerPhotos by Robin Razowsky

Elyse and daughter Katya Smith

9 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesJEWISH INTEREST

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS WHO HELP MAKE L’CHAYIM POSSIBLE

Stars of DavidBy Nate Bloom, Contributing ColumnistEditor’s note: Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish.

Ten years of doing a Jewish celebrities column has turned Nate Bloom (see column at left) into something of an expert on finding basic family history records and articles mentioning a “searched-for” person.During these 10 years, he has put together a small team of “mavens” who aid his research. Most professional family history experts charge at least $1,000 for a full family tree. However, many people just want to get “started” by tracing one particular family branch.

So here’s the deal:Send Nate an email at [email protected],

tell him you saw this ad in L’CHAYIM, and include your phone number (area code, too).

Nate will then contact you about doing a “limited” family history for you at a modest cost

(no more than $100). No upfront payment.

Interested in Your Family’s History?

Because this is the way retirement should be, and the only thing missing is you. Fitness that energizes. Neighbors who become lifelong friends. The assurance that comes from not worrying about the future. The security friends and family feel about you having a plan. How can we be certain you’ll love Cypress Cove? What’s not to love about peace of mind, great value, scenic beauty, delicious food and a community of caring friends?

Call 239-481-6605 or visit us online at www.CypressCoveLiving.org. Visit us to see all there is to love!

10200 Cypress Cove DriveFort Myers, FL 33908

Cypress Cove is a non-profit organization, sponsored by Lee Healthcare Resources; a support organization to Lee Memorial Health System, one of Southwest Florida’s most well-respected healthcare providers. Cypress Cove was first in the state of Florida to achieve Person Centered Accreditation in its healthcare areas.

Don and Nancy –

Just wanted to tell you how much we love Cypress Cove! Join us anytime for a swim, bird-watching, cocktails anddinner or a game of bocce!

Best, Jean and Ted

Love Where You Live

TV/Movie News and NotesSaturday Night Live has announced that just one new member, JON RUD-NITSKY, 25, will be added to the cast for the 2015-2016 season, which starts on Saturday, October 3. Rudnitsky’s mother’s brother is MICHAEL OREN, 60, the former Israeli ambassador to the United States. Rudnitsky is a relative unknown, but the work he has posted on YouTube explains his hire. His stand-up routines feature a lot of “millennial” hu-mor (like many social media references) that could be easily converted into SNL skits that would appeal to a younger TV audience (which advertisers covet). His original digital shorts are very much in the SNL mode. One short is a pretty funny movie parody (www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwiJyljS5Ks) called The Jewish Hunger Games: Kvetching Fire. In other words, Yom Kippur meets The Hunger Games.

Rudnitsky got some heat when it was recently reported he had tweeted out some unfunny, nasty jokes about women and gays. It’s one thing be-ing offensive and funny, but being offensive and NOT funny is a major comedic sin. I hope Jon atoned for this sin on Yom Kippur.

Premiering on Monday, September 21 (8:30 p.m.) was the CBS sit-com series Life in Pieces. It follows the intertwined lives of three generations of the Short family. Each episode will be told in four stories – one for each branch of the Short family – and will tackle the complexities of everyday life, like first-time parenthood and ag-ing gracefully. The oldest generation

is represented by John and Joan Short (Josh Brolin and Dianne Wiest). In one premiere vignette, we met Jen, who is married to Greg Short, the son of John and Joan. She’s just given birth. ZOE LISTER-JONES, 33, plays Jen, with Colin Hanks (Tom’s son) playing Greg.

Starting on Tuesday, September 22 (9:00 p.m.) was the Fox series, Scream Queens. It’s described as a “new killer comedy-series from the guys who brought you American Horror Story. The premise: Kappa House, the most sought-after sorority for pledges, is being ruled with an iron fist by Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts; Julia’s niece). However, an anti-Kappa university official, Dean Munsch, decrees that pledging must be open to all students. Shortly thereafter, a devil-clad killer begins claiming one victim, one episode at a time. JAMIE LEE CURTIS, 56, plays Dean Munsch. Curtis made her film debut in the classic 1978 horror film Halloween, and her appearance in several other horror films shortly there-after got critics to give her the then new label, “scream queen.”

Director/producer J.J. ABRAMS, 49, was one of JON STEWART’s last guests. He directed the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (opening in De-cember). It was long known that HAR-RISON FORD, 73, suffered an ankle injury while making this film. It wasn’t known that Abrams was injured, too. Ford’s injury, Abrams said, happened when the door of a prop spaceship ac-cidentally slammed down. Abrams told

Stewart that he raced to help Ford and heard a “popping sound” as he tried to open the door. Abrams’ doctor later determined that Abrams had broken his back. Abrams told Stewart that Ford recovered within a month, while he was still wearing a back brace under his clothes. He described the scene: “Har-rison Ford, from across the stage, sprints at me faster than I will ever run… And he’s like, ‘Hey J.J.!’ And I’m like, ‘Hi, Harrison Ford.’ Ooh, it hurts to talk that way. I felt like the most nebbishy Jewish director ever.” (In case you didn’t know, the secular Ford is the son of a Jewish mother and an Irish Catholic father.)A Top Jewish QB? Oh, my!Quarterback JOSH ROSEN, 18, played so well in UCLA’s first season game (September 5), that he already is be-ing touted for the Heisman award, and

nicknames like “Chosen Rosen” and “J-Chosen” are popping up everywhere. Rosen, a “true freshman,” and a South-ern California native, was an outstand-ing high school quarterback who was named the 2014 male Jewish athlete of the year by the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame – and, yes, “the chosen one” had a bar mitzvah. He also had a 4.3 GPA in high school and took such tough classes as AP calculus.

Because readers ask, I will note that Rosen is the son of DR. CHARLES ROSEN, a spine surgeon who was once a nationally-ranked ice skater, and Liz Lippincott, the former captain of the Princeton women’s lacrosse team. His mother comes from an old Quaker family, and the famous Wharton School of Business is named after her great-grandfather. Josh was raised Jewish.

Emily Lowenstein and Rhetta Kanen

Georgette Botherner

Elyse and daughter Katya Smith

10 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties JEWISH INTEREST

Loving the LoireBy The Wine Whisperer

n Jerry Greenfield

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Holiday Noodle-Kugel – recipe by Dalia Hemed

The Loire Valley in France offers abundant attractions to the wine lover. Let’s start with the cha-

teaux. In days past, before the Revo-lution, the rich and famous from Paris retreated in the summer months to their homes along the river. Some of these “cottages” covered hun-dreds of thou-sands of square

feet and had over 200 rooms. These days, many of them are either operated as luxury hotels or, better yet, as bed and breakfast inns at delightfully mod-erate prices.

Then, of course, there are the wines. The Loire is the longest river in France, running northward from the eastern highlands and bending around to the west, ultimately emptying into the Atlantic at Nantes. At the bend are two villages, Sancerre and Pouilly, and

it is from here that many of the zingi-est, classiest examples of Sauvignon Blanc have their origins.

While we might first associate Sau-vignon Blanc with New Zealand, the grape is indigenous to the Loire, where it has been cultivated since around 400 AD. Luckily, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most food-friendly wines you can buy. I subscribe to my own person-al “lemon law:” if you can put lemon on it, you can drink Sauvignon Blanc with it. Perfect for broiled fish, shell-fish and similar dishes.

The Loire is a diverse area, and wines are made in a very wide range of styles. Some wineries use stainless steel tanks for fermentation, then age the wine in small oak barrels, which makes it fuller and rounder. In other wineries, there’s not a stick of oak to be seen.

Generally, the Pouilly wines are fuller, while Sancerres are lighter, and easier to drink young. Since the villages are directly across the river from each other, they share the same

climate, but not the same winemak-ing traditions. With a cool climate, the major characteristic of both areas is acidity. They are “zippy” whites, often with agreeable vegetal overtones such as hay, straw and grass.

Sidebar: In addition to the fine wines of Pouilly and Sancerre, don’t pass up the offerings from a region called Menetou-Salon. These lesser-known wines offer great values.

As we travel farther west, we come to the central region, anchored by the towns of Chinon and Bourgueil (pro-nounced boor-GOOEY, or something like that). In this area, there’s hardly a white grape to be seen. It’s the home of Cabernet Franc, a big, bold red that’s a major component of the Bordeaux blend, but bottled here as a single va-rietal. If you like solid, mouth-filling reds, this is the stuff for you.

Keep going, and you’ll find your-self in the areas of Samur and Anjou, the home of Chenin Blanc, another re-freshing, acidic white. Though it origi-nates in this region, the South Africans,

who call it “Steen,” make some excel-lent versions at decent prices.

Since the area is so diverse (we haven’t even discussed Vouvray or Melon de Bourgogne yet), it may be worth a more extended visit in a future article. For now, however, I’d like to suggest a few producers to watch for. If you see their names on the label, chances are you’re in for a treat…and a great value.

For Sauvignon Blanc, look for Pascal Jolivet, Alphonse Mellot and Henri Bourgeois. For Cabernet Franc, our favorites are Yannick Amirault (the big dog in the region) and Bernard Baudry.

Sample widely. Please email ques-tions, comments, or suggestions for fu-ture articles. Here’s to you!Jerry Greenfield is The Wine Whisper-er. He is Creative Director of Green-field Advertising Group, and his new book, Secrets of the Wine Whisperer, is now available through his website or on Amazon. Read his other writings on his website, www.winewhisperer.com.

Nothing says “Jewish holidays” quite like a delicious slice of noodle kugel! Kugel is a quint-

essentially Jewish dish. Kugel would be great for breaking the fast on Yom Kippur, as part of a Sukkot meal, or for Hanukkah and Thanksgiving.

Kugels can range from sweet to savory, dry to moist, dense to fluffy. Some people like it topped with corn-flakes, some with graham crackers, and some with cinnamon sugar. Some people like no topping at all, preferring to let the top noodle layer brown and harden to a crunchy texture.

No matter which way you like your kugel, a good basic recipe is im-portant. The one I’m sharing today is my favorite noodle kugel recipe. It cre-ates a sweet kugel that is rich, creamy, moist and tasty. If you’ve never made kugel before, this is the recipe to start with. I encourage you to use this recipe as a guide. Experiment with it as much as you like. You can omit the raisins or pineapples, add dried fruit to the noodle mixture, change the topping or elimi-nate it completely! This kugel recipe is easy to make, easy to transport, and always a crowd pleaser, and definitely

has an autumn/winter holiday vibe.Yummy. Enjoy!

Kugel Ingredients:• 1 bag (16 oz.) wide egg noodles• 2 tbsp unsalted butter• 1/2 cup raisins• 6 eggs• 1 tsp vanilla• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon• 1 cup sugar (use 1 1/4 cup for a

sweeter kugel)• 2 packages (8 oz. each) vanilla

cream cheese• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese • 1/2 cup sour cream• 1 can (16 oz.) pineapple chunks in

juiceTopping Ingredients:

• 8 oz. vanilla wafer cookies (makes about 2 cups of crumbs)

• 2 tbsp sugar• 1/2 tsp cinnamon• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

You will also need:• large pot, 3 quart or 9x13 baking

dish, food processor or blender X Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add egg noodles, stir, and boil until tender. Drain. Melt 2 tbsp of

butter in the hot noodles and stir to coat.

X Place raisins in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let the raisins soak for 10 minutes while you blend the creamy mixture (next step). Drain thoroughly.

X In a food processor or blender, combine eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, cream cheese, ricotta cheese and sour cream. Blend the ingredi-ents until creamy.

X Add creamy mixture to the noodles in the pot along with the drained raisins. Drain the pineapple chunks and dice them into small pieces, then add them to the pot. Stir all in-gredients until thoroughly mixed.

X Pour the noodles into a greased 9×13 baking dish.

X Crush vanilla wafer cookies to a crumbly texture. I do this by plac-ing the cookies into a plastic Zip-loc bag and pounding them with a mallet. You want them crushed fine, but not to a powder – a little texture is good. Place crumbs in a small mixing bowl.

X Add sugar, cinnamon and melted butter to the crumbs. Mix with a fork for a couple of minutes till all the crumbs are evenly moistened

by the butter. X Evenly sprinkle the crumbly top-

ping across the top of the kugel. X Cover dish with foil and place in

the oven. Bake the kugel for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more until the top is golden brown.

X May be served warm or cold.

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by the butter. X Evenly sprinkle the crumbly top-

ping across the top of the kugel. X Cover dish with foil and place in

the oven. Bake the kugel for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more until the top is golden brown.

X May be served warm or cold.

Helmuth James Von Moltke, anti-Nazi heroBy Paul R. Bartrop, PhD

Helmuth James Graf von Moltke was a man who re-sisted the Nazi regime and was

executed for treason in January 1945.He was born on March 11, 1907, on

the family estate at Kreisau, Silesia. He came from a most dis-tinguished family: he was the great-grand-nephew of Helmuth von Moltke the El-der, one of Prussia’s outstanding military commanders dur-ing Germany’s wars of unification, and

grandnephew of Helmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke the Younger, who served as chief of the German general staff between 1906 and 1914.

He studied law and political sci-ence between 1925 and 1929, moving between universities in Breslau, Vi-enna, Heidelberg and Berlin. On October 18, 1931, he married Freya Deichmann, who had also attended seminars at the University of Breslau. For a time, she worked as Helmuth’s research assistant, before receiving her own law degree from Humboldt Uni-versity in 1935.

The same year, Helmuth was of-fered the chance to become a judge, but he declined on the ground that to do so he would have had to join the Nazi party. Rather than become part of a system he detested, he opened up his own legal practice in Berlin.

With the outbreak of war in Septem-ber 1939, he was drafted into German military intelligence (the Abwehr) in Berlin. It was here that he first began to demonstrate his opposition to the Nazi regime through advocating humane treatment for prisoners of war and the observance of international law. He worked to undermine human rights abuses in German-occupied territories.

In early 1940, Helmuth and Freya, and another aristocrat Helmuth had known since 1938, Peter Graf Yorck von Wartenburg, began to gather around

them an informal group of some two dozen opponents of Nazism to inves-tigate options for a new and better Germany. This developed into the Kreisau Circle, a group that became one of the main foci of German opposition to the Nazi regime. Small though it was, it was comprised of many elite members of German society.

In a voluminous correspondence with Freya and others, Helmuth asked many questions about where Germany was heading, and what degree of re-sponsibility each person would have to acknowledge after the war. In a letter dated October 21, 1941 – 74 years ago this month – he unburdened himself to Freya about the destruction of com-munities in occupied Europe as well as the Jews of Berlin, and what it signified for the future of German society and culture. If his letter had been found, such criticism of the regime would have been taken as subversive and could well have led to incarceration in a concentration camp – or worse.

Referring to the slaughter of the Jews in Russia, he wrote: “Certainly more than a thousand people are mur-dered in this way every day, and another thousand German men are habituated to murder… What shall I say when I am asked: And what did you do during that time?”

This was the same month in which the Jews of Berlin began to be deported. In the letter, von Moltke wrote: “Since Saturday the Berlin Jews are being rounded up. Then they are sent off with what they can carry… How can anyone know these things and walk around free?”

From his perspective, knowing about these things only served to rein-force his opposition to the war and the Nazi party. Pursuant to this, one of his actions was to disseminate confidential information on Nazi war crimes to those outside the Nazi party, in the hope that it would be passed on to the Allies.

On January 19, 1944, von Moltke was arrested by the Gestapo, but re-

leased after a short period. Only later was it discovered that he was also involved in the failed coup attempt of July 20, 1944, against Hitler, and was arrested again, this time for high treason.

Facing Judge Roland Freisler be-fore the People’s Court, von Moltke found himself in a delicate position. Fighting for his life, it transpired that no evidence could be found that he had actually participated in any conspiracy to bring about a coup. Freisler was thus forced to concoct a new capital charge. Looking over the record of the Kreisau Circle, he ruled that discussions of a future Germany based on moral and democratic principles met the criteria for the death penalty.

As von Moltke noted in a letter to Freya, this signified that he was going to his death for his ideas, not for anything he had done – a damning indictment against the regime he was opposing.

In what was an inevitable judgment, Helmuth James Graf von Moltke was sentenced to death on January 11, 1945, and executed on January 23 in Berlin-Plötzensee prison.

Before his death, his sense of dis-gust and opposition led him to ponder: “If only I could get rid of this terrible feeling that I have let myself be corrupt-ed, that I do not react keenly enough to such things, that they torment me with-out producing a spontaneous reaction.”

Knowing what is happening without intervening immediately only served to reinforce his general opposition to the war, and his own sense of impotence.

In one of his final letters, written to his sons while awaiting execution, von Moltke gave his reasons for acting the way he did, declaring that ever since National Socialism came to power, he had attempted to make its consequences “milder for its victims and to prepare the way for a change. In that, my con-science drove me – and in the end, that is a man’s duty.”

Helmuth James von Moltke – lest we forget.Dr. Paul Bartrop is Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Ju-daic, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. He can be reached at [email protected].

n Dr. Paul Bartrop

Barrington Terrace of Fort Myers9731 Commerce Center Court, Ft. Myers, Florida

(239) 334-2500www.bt- f tmyers .com

It’s a great feeling once you knowyou’ve come to the right place.

• Designed with seniors in mind: no stairs, steps or elevators

• Specific neighborhood to meet the needs of residents with Alzheimer’s and other memory loss

• Extended Congregate Care (ECC) license

• Caring and knowledgeable staff with more than 150 years of combined experience and licensed nurse on staff 24/7

Have an item you’d like to share? Need to reach the editor of L’CHAYIM? Send an email to

[email protected].


n Phil Jason

Book review by Philip K. Jason, Special to L’CHAYIM

Thriller set in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community reunites young journalist with the mother who abandoned her

Run You Down, by Julia Dahl. Minotaur Books. 304 pages.

Hardcover, $25.99.

It would be hard for author Julia Dahl to match the impact of her novel from last year, Invisible City, let

alone provide a fresh experience with a story that mines a similar milieu: the mysterious death of a woman in New York’s Hasidic community. However,

she has done it – in part by having left the door open for a continuation of the earlier work’s underplot: a young woman’s quest to find the mother who abandoned her as a baby.

One wou ld suspect that Run

You Down was in development even before Invisible City was published. In the later book, tabloid stringer Rebekah Roberts, a half-Jewish woman raised in Florida by her Christian father, Brian, has taken a step up the ladder at the New York Tribune. She’s doing rewrite, an indoor job, rather than chasing around the city investigating possible stories. Rebekah is also fighting a severe bout of depression in the aftermath of her first major assignment. Her roommate, Iris, is pushing her to get help.

Rebekah meets with her friend, Saul, a retired policeman and the one person of her acquaintance (besides her father) who had known Aviva, her mother. Aviva had contacted Saul about possibly getting in touch with her daughter. Saul passed on the message, but Rebekah’s nerve failed when it came to picking up the phone; too much fear and anger, too many unknowns.

While wrestling with this problem, which is pulling her into a dangerous withdrawal state, Rebekah agrees to meet Levi, a man from the Haredi (ex-treme Orthodox) world. Levi’s young wife, Pessie, has recently died, but he suspects something has gone wrong with the in-vestigation of her death. (Echoing the circum-stances in Invisible City, Pessie was rushed to the funeral home without an autopsy being done.)

Levi can’t find out how she died, though Pessie’s family seems to fear that she may have committed suicide – a scandalous act in their community. Rebekah agrees to look into matters. Suddenly, this half-hidden world of the Haredi has become her beat.

But wait, we follow the progress of her investigation only in alternate chapters.

The story is developed through two alternating first-person narratives. It begins with the voice of Aviva, as if speaking to Rebekah after having been reunited with her. She explains her expe-rience after having run away to Florida, and the circumstances that led her to marry Brian.

Later “Aviva” chapters detail her decision to run off again, abandoning Rebekah and returning to New York, but not intending to reunite with her Hasidic

parents and siblings. Slowly, her shadowy life is revealed to Rebekah (and to readers).

As happens in small worlds, the investigation of Pessie’s death connects to the cautious efforts of Aviva and Rebekah to dare a meeting. There is so much at stake for each woman, so many reasons for leaving their lives manageable, if unfinished and

unfulfilled.The linchpin is Sam Kagan, Aviva’s

much younger brother, whose explosive rebellion against the Hasidic community has put him into contact with a white-supremacist criminal family. He also had a connection to Levi’s wife.

Dahl orchestrates a stunning series

of revelations as she ma-neuvers the reader through the strange duet of two voices, mother and daugh-ter, in search of missing pieces. The author paints her portraits of physical settings and cultural communities with authority and skill.

The tenuous rapproche-ment between Aviva and Re-

bekah leaves room for further chapters – or books – to explore what they will come to mean to each other and how their identities will be reshaped as they adjust to being part of one another’s lives.

Haunted by guilt and seeking (and offering) forgiveness, the main charac-ters in this fine thriller are unforgettable. Supplemented by an intriguing and distinctive supporting cast, Run You Down will make Julia Dahl a strong candidate for more accolades like those she received for Invisible City. And more readers, too.

Reprinted, with permission, from Washington Independent Review of Books.Philip K. Jason is Professor Emeritus of English from the United States Na-val Academy. He reviews regularly for Florida Weekly, Jewish Book World, Southern Literary Review, and other publications. Please visit Phil’s website at www.philjason.wordpress.com.

Julia Dahl

Book review: In Sunlight and in ShadowBy Stan Zell

In Sunlight and in Shadow is an im-pressive novel by Mark Helprin. Be prepared for writing on a grand

scale. Savor it...it is not an everyday occurrence. However, be forewarned that at 705 pages the novel is an up-hill climb. Digressions from the main storyline can be off-putting, but allow yourself to be swept along by memo-rable scenes and characters.

The novel takes place in and around New York City shortly after World War II. The novel’s themes are the old fa-miliar ones: the battle between good and evil, and the role of character and courage in shaping one’s destiny.

The Hales and the Morrows are families of great wealth. The Morrows’ son, Victor, and the Hales’ daughter, Catherine, are shortly to announce their engagement at the swanky Geor-gica Club.

In the intervening days, Harry

Copeland and Catherine Hale meet in a chance encounter on a Staten Island ferry and are immediately drawn to one another. After meeting Harry, Cathe-rine, at long last is able to acknowledge to herself how reprehensible Victor’s behavior has been toward her, and in dramatic fashion calls off her engage-ment to him.

The evolving relationship between Catherine and Harry is at the heart of the story. Catherine is soon to appear in a musical destined for Broadway. Har-ry, having served four years as a para-trooper in World War II, now helps run Copeland Leather, the family business.

The novel is enriched by a wonder-ful cast of supporting characters.

Catherine’s parents, Billy and Ev-elyn Hale, are an interesting couple who are full of surprises. It remains to be seen how accepting they will be to Harry, their daughter’s Jewish suitor.

Victor Morrow, Catherine’s ex-fi-ance, has inherited great wealth. He is not an individual anyone would choose as an enemy. Venderlyn is a ruthless and heartless Mafioso who Victor has hired to destroy Harry’s business so he will have little to offer Catherine. Vanderlyn does not quite realize what he is up against in Harry, a battle-hard-ened former soldier.

Vanderlyn has just survived a ter-rible storm at sea and is shoeless with his clothes in tatters when Harry and the Hales encounter him. They think Vanderlyn is an impoverished vagrant or indigent fisherman, and give him a place to spend the night, and money to help him get back on his feet.

Mike Beck is a theatrical produc-er who has several of the top hits on Broadway at any given time. He is not a man to be trifled with as Victor Mor-row is going to discover.

These are the principal characters. One thing several have in common is that they are not who they first ap-pear to be. Catherine, upon meeting Harry, tells him that she is poor, and gives Harry her stage name rather than tell him who she really is. Vanderlyn is anything but an impoverished indi-vidual down on his luck. And the Hales are sitting on a powder keg of surpris-ing secrets.

A subject that engages the reader throughout the book is how common-place the expression of anti-Jewish sentiment was during this period, espe-

cially, among the well-to-do. In actual-ity, the subject and how it is handled adds much to the storyline.

Harry is not ashamed of being Jewish. He is simply fatigued from how often he has been confronted with anti-Jewish prejudice. As Harry tells Catherine: “I’ve been at peace for a year and I like it. I have enough to do without trying to cure anti-Semitism. I think I’ve cured my share of German anti-Semitism.”

Catherine, even though she is from a family of wealth and privilege, has to acknowledge what she and Harry will be up against: “The whole world says and feels that you and I are not appro-priate for one another, that you to mix your blood with mine, would be a pol-lution.”

Another area Catherine and Har-ry are finding challenging is the Hale family’s enormous wealth. Harry, no fortune hunter, finds it all rather unset-tling.

When he tells Catherine, “I can’t live on your money. If I can’t pull my weight, we can’t last,” Catherine replies, “Harry, you’re not marrying money. You’re marrying me. If you don’t know the difference, there will be no wedding.”

I urge the discerning reader to settle back in a comfortable chair and enjoy a well-crafted novel that is sur-prisingly good. You will be embarking on a journey that I hope you will find satisfying.

BOOK CLUB—OPEN TO EVERYONE

Bring your dinner & join us for book group discussions at the

Jewish Federation building.

Wednesday, October 28 6:00 p.m. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Wednesday, November 18 6:00 p.m. The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal

“The Sunflower” is this season’s One Book Southwest Florida selection. The community read is sponsored by GenShoah of Southwest Florida

in conjunction with the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida. Also participating are the Lee and Collier Public

Libraries, as well as our Jewish Federation.

On Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m., a discussion of the book will take place at the Holocaust Museum. Our discussion of the book will be on

November 18. Everyone is welcome to join us. RSVP required for all book club meetings: [email protected] or 239.481.4449 x3

L’CHAYIM delivers!Introduce your business to a POWERFUL

demographic and reach 5,000 readers each month for pennies per reader!

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cially, among the well-to-do. In actual-ity, the subject and how it is handled adds much to the storyline.

Harry is not ashamed of being Jewish. He is simply fatigued from how often he has been confronted with anti-Jewish prejudice. As Harry tells Catherine: “I’ve been at peace for a year and I like it. I have enough to do without trying to cure anti-Semitism. I think I’ve cured my share of German anti-Semitism.”

Catherine, even though she is from a family of wealth and privilege, has to acknowledge what she and Harry will be up against: “The whole world says and feels that you and I are not appro-priate for one another, that you to mix your blood with mine, would be a pol-lution.”

Another area Catherine and Har-ry are finding challenging is the Hale family’s enormous wealth. Harry, no fortune hunter, finds it all rather unset-tling.

When he tells Catherine, “I can’t live on your money. If I can’t pull my weight, we can’t last,” Catherine replies, “Harry, you’re not marrying money. You’re marrying me. If you don’t know the difference, there will be no wedding.”

I urge the discerning reader to settle back in a comfortable chair and enjoy a well-crafted novel that is sur-prisingly good. You will be embarking on a journey that I hope you will find satisfying.

The Museum is supported by individual contributions, foundations, memberships and grants from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development

Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners and the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council.

301 Washington AvenueMiami Beach, FL 33139305.672.5044 • [email protected] Tuesday-Sunday 10am - 5pm Except Holidays

2 - f o r - 1 a d m i s s i o n w i t h t h i s a d L’Chayim

JMOF-FIU 20th Anniversary Exhibition

Vision 20/20Looking Back/Looking Forward

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On view through November 15, 2015The Seventh Day: Revisiting Shabbat

On view through October 25, 2015

Floridian Jewish families have played an integral part in every area of the development

of the Sunshine State, from the pioneers who settled here more than 250 years ago, to contemporary movers and shakers.

In honor of our 20th Anniversary, Vision 20/20 provides a glimpse into our collection of

more than 100,000 items, documenting the history makers of yesterday to those of today.

Formed from the Collections of the Jewish Museum of Florida, originated by Marcia Jo Zerivitz, Founding Executive Director.

Nostra Aetate at fiftyBy Jack Conroy, Ph.D.

I have spent years imagining what the earliest followers of the char-ismatic Galilean preacher might

have expected in their lifetimes. The religious world of First Century Israel was vibrant and exciting. From the teachings of Hillel and Shammai to those attributed to the “Teacher of Righ-teousness” in Qumran, the atmosphere was one of focusing on how a Jew could be most fully observant. And the man named Jesus fit in well. Jesus and his early followers were all Jews, accepted Torah, and recited the Shemah. The ideas we find today in Nostra Aetate would have been seen as ludicrous.

What happened?Well, the first thing was that within

twenty years of Jesus’ death, a rela-tively small number of Jews affirmed allegiance to Jesus. Perhaps the most effective leader of early Christians, Saul of Tarsus (later recognized as St. Paul) recognized his failure to attract Jews. He wrote in his letter to the Romans, “I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart,” because of his failure to attract “my kin according to the flesh.” (Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 2-3) This lack of success among the Jews of Je-rusalem was exacerbated by the destruc-tion of the Second Temple in 70 CE by the Romans. What followers existed in Jerusalem were killed along with the rest of the Jews in the city.

Secondly, probably motivated by his lack of success with his fellow Jews, Paul engaged in missionary journeys through what is now Turkey, Mace-donia, Greece and ultimately Rome. There, he and his co-workers were successful in attracting a significant number of believers. By the end of the first century, the Church was generally non-Jewish, with the Gentile members not recognizing their Jewish heritage. Further, both the Gentile church and the Jewish synagogue adopted attitudes of mutual hostility, which was expressed as persecution of Jews, made possible by the larger numbers of Gentiles and their assumption of political power. We all know that this achieved its logi-cal culmination in the horrors of the Holocaust.

This is where Nostra Aetate came about. The Church has been holding “Councils” as meetings to define prin-ciples and religious standards almost as long as it has been around. For the most part, each Council would reaffirm and elucidate what had been postulated or taught at prior Councils. However, Nostra Aetate is a Council document that recognizes prior error and rejects the actions of an anti-Jewish atti-tude. Most importantly, it affirmed the Jewish patrimony as being at the root of Christianity. Also, it recognizes with relation to Jesus’ death that not

all Jews, either then or afterwards, are to be held responsible. Further, among other items, we read here of the Catholic Church’s condemnation of anti- Semitism. Specifically, the document says:

…in her rejection of every perse-cution against any man, the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political rea-sons but by the Gospel’s spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.

And finally, the document affirms the necessity of fraternal dialogue within an attitude of mutual respect. The document says:

Since the spiritual patrimony com-mon to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual under-standing and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues.

This document was promulgated on October 28, 1965. It offers cause for celebration among both Catholics and Jews as a document that serves as the basis of dialogue among all people, recognizing the respect that both parties extend to each other as to their religious affirmations.Jack Conroy was the co-chair of the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County for seven years.

L’CHAYIM delivers!Introduce your business to a POWERFUL

demographic and reach 5,000 readers each month for pennies per reader!

For ad rates and deadlines, contact Jim Lewin at 239.634.6923


For daily news stories related to Israel & the Jewish world,

visit the home page of the Federation’s website at

www.JewishFederationLCC.org.


Historic Jewish Iraqi items rescued and preservedJewish Museum of Florida-FIU is one of only six institutions to exhibit in the U.S.

The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU (JMOF-FIU) has the distinct honor in presenting Discovery

and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage. The exhibition details the dramatic recovery of historic materials relating to the Jewish community in Iraq from a flooded basement in Saddam Hussein’s intelligence headquarters, and the National Archives’ ongoing work in support of U.S. Government efforts to preserve these materials. The soft open-ing for the exhibition coincides with Art Basel Miami Beach on Thursday, De-cember 3, with a Members’ Reception on Monday, December 7. The exhibi-tion will be on view for a limited time through Sunday, February 14, 2016.

In both English and Arabic, the 2,000-square-foot exhibition features 23 recovered items and a “behind the scenes” video of the fascinating yet painstaking preservation process. The entire collection includes more than 2,700 Jewish books and tens of

thousands of documents in Hebrew, Arabic, Judeo-Arabic and English, dat-ing from 1524 to the 1970s. A special website makes these historic materials freely available to all online: www.ija.archives.gov. This work was made pos-sible through generous support from the U.S. Department of State.

The National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the Center for Jewish History were very helpful in providing key start-up support for the project.

On May 6, 2003, just days after the Coalition forces went into Baghdad, American soldiers entered Saddam Hus-sein’s flooded intelligence building. In the basement, in four feet of water, they found thousands of books and docu-ments relating to the Jewish community of Iraq – materials that had belonged to synagogues and Jewish organizations in Baghdad.

The water-logged materials quickly became moldy in Baghdad’s intense heat and humidity. Seeking guidance, the Coalition Provisional Authority placed an urgent call to the nation’s foremost conservation experts at the National Archives. Just a week later, National Archives Director of Preservation Pro-grams Doris Hamburg and Conservation Chief Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler arrived in

Baghdad via military transport to assess the damage and make recommendations for preservation of the materials. Given limited treatment options in Baghdad, and with the agreement of Iraqi repre-sentatives, the materials were shipped to the United States for preservation and exhibition. Since then, these materials have been vacuum freeze-dried, pre-served and digitized under the direction of the National Archives.

The Jews of Iraq have a rich past, extending back 2,500 years to Babylo-nia. These materials provide a tangible link to this community that flourished there, but in the second half of the twentieth century dispersed throughout the world. Today, fewer than five Jews remain.

Highlights from the exhibition include: a Hebrew Bible with Com-mentaries from 1568 – one of the oldest books in the trove; a Babylonian Talmud from 1793; A Torah scroll fragment from Genesis – one of the 43 Torah scroll fragments found; a Zohar from 1815 – a text for the mystical and spiritual Jew-ish movement known as Kabbalah; an official 1917 letter to the Chief Rabbi regarding a request to Allow Jewish Prisoners to Attend Worship for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year); ma-

terials from Jewish schools in Baghdad, including exam grades and a letter to the College Entrance Examination Board in Princeton regarding SAT scores; a Hag-gadah (Passover script) from 1902, hand lettered and decorated by an Iraqi Jew-ish youth; and a lunar calendar in both Hebrew and Arabic from the Jewish year 5732 (1971-1972) – one of the last examples of Hebrew-printed items produced in Baghdad.

Discovery and Recovery is divided into six sections: Discovery - The dra-matic story of how these materials were found, rescued and preserved is one worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. A short film captures these heroic efforts. The section includes actual metal foot lockers used to ship the documents to the United States; Text and Heritage - This section explores Iraqi Jewish history and tradition through recovered texts, including a Torah scroll fragment, a Hebrew Bible with Commentaries from 1568, and a Babylonian Talmud from 1793; Iraqi Jewish Life – Con-stancy and Change - Using recovered texts, this section explores the pattern of Jewish life in Iraq. Highlights include a Haggadah (Passover script), siddur (prayer book) and an illustrated lunar calendar in both Hebrew and Arabic

(one of about 20 found, dating from 1959-1973); Personal and Communal Life - Selected correspondence and pub-lications illustrate the range and com-plexity of Iraqi Jewish life in the 19th and 20th centuries. Original documents and facsimiles in flipbooks range from school primers to international business correspondence from the Sassoon fam-ily; After the Millennia - Iraqi Jewish life unraveled in the mid-20th century, with the rise of Nazism and prolifera-tion of anti-Jewish propaganda. In June 1941, 180 Jews were killed and hundreds injured in an anti-Jewish attack in Bagh-dad. Persecution increased when Iraq entered the war against the new State of Israel in 1948. In 1950 and 1951, many Iraqi Jews were stripped of their citizenship and assets, and the com-munity fled the county en masse. This section includes the 1951 law freezing assets of Iraqi Jews; Preserving the Past - It is not surprising that the Coali-tion Forces turned to National Archives conservators for help. Learn about the transformation of these materials from moldy, water-logged masses to a carefully preserved, enduring historic legacy.

This exhibition was created by the National Archives and Records Admin-

istration, with generous sup-port from the U.S. Department of State. Local exhibition sponsor: Congregation Beth Jacob. More information is available at www.archives.gov and www.ija.archives.gov.Related Links: See incredible “before and after” treatment photos: www. archives.gov/press/press-kits/iraqi-jewish-archive/images.html

See five “behind the scenes” Iraqi Jewish Archive

videos. IJA website: http://www.ija.archives.gov

Peek “behind the scenes” of the state-of-the-art Conservation Lab: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzg_FYn_rZgMembers’ Opening: Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish HeritageMonday, December 7 at 6:00 p.m.$18 for JMOF-FIU members (Free for $125 Level+); nonmembers can join at the door!RSVP: 786.972.3175 or [email protected]

About JMOF-FIU: The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU is the only museum dedicated to telling the story of 250 years of Florida Jewish heritage, arts and culture. The museum is housed in two adjacent, lovingly restored historic buildings, at 301 Washington Avenue on South Beach, that were once synagogues for Miami Beach’s first Jewish congregation. The museum’s permanent exhibition is MOSAIC: Jew-ish Life in Florida, 1763 to Present. Its temporary history and art exhibitions change periodically.

For more information, please call 305.672.5044 or visit www.jewish museum.com.

Passover Haggadah from Vienna, 1930.This colorfully illus-trated French and Hebrew Haggadah was published

in Vienna. Caption on image: “Eating Matzah.”

Tik (Torah case) and Glass Panel from Baghdad, 19th-20th centuries. In Jewish communities through-out the Middle East, the Torah scroll is generally housed in a rigid “tik,” or case made of wood or metal.

TEMPLE BETH EL OF FORT MYERS

PROUDLY PRESENTS:

OZ PEARLMAN WORLD CLASS MENTALIST

DATE: FEBRUARY 21, 2016

FINALIST ON

THE NBC HIT SHOW,

WATCH FOR DETAILS…..TICKETS ON SALE SOON

Participants in Ofanim’s Young Doctors program learn about careers in healthcare

JYP POTLUCK DINNER Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Jewish Federation Community Room 9701 Commerce Center Ct., Fort Myers 33908

RSVP to Leni at [email protected] or 239.481.4449 x3

DAIRY OR PARVE DISHES ONLY, PLEASE

JYP is for young Jewish adults, 25 to 40 years of age.

The group is dedicated to bringing together singles and couples for social, philanthropic & networking events.

15 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

Read the current and recent issues of L’CHAYIM online at www.JewishFederationLCC.org.

TEMPLE JUDEACommunity Tour of Berlin, Munich & Prague

Join Rabbi Marc Sack and the Temple Judea community as we explore Munich, Nuremberg, Prague, Dresden and Berlin.

Together we will discover what was lost and what has been rebuilt. And along the way, we will meet with members of local communities to learn about the remarkable resurgence of Jewish life taking hold in the heart of Europe.

SEPTEMBER 4-15, 2016

Learn More @ www.templejudea2europe.org

For questions about the program call Rabbi Sack at 1-239-433-0201. For registration-related questions, call Bonnie Shoval at 1-202-537-6056 or [email protected]

Lab bus helps kids hitch a ride to college

By Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL21c, www.israel21c.org, August 16, 2015

Ofanim’s yellow buses bring fully equipped learning labs to Israel’s periphery to give children better opportunities for higher education.

Bright yellow Ofanim buses driv-ing around Israel’s geographic and economic periphery don’t

bring children to school; they bring school to children.

Inside each bus is a fully-equipped mobile lab outfitted to give each third- to sixth-grader a hands-on afterschool learning experience in topics they could not otherwise explore: pre-medicine, ro-botics, comics, computer animation and gaming software. Next year, another bus will be added where children can develop a mobile app to solve a problem they defined in their community.

The multiple-award-winning Ofa-nim also offers twice-yearly discovery and empowerment days for participants at institutions such as the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Bar-Ilan School of Medicine in Safed, and Soroka University Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University of the Ne-gev in Beersheva.

“It’s all aimed at improving their odds of achieving higher education,” says Adir Kan, Ofanim’s chief execu-tive officer.

Each program is carefully designed to instill self-confidence and empower underprivileged kids to fulfill their potential.

In a letter to his Ofanim teachers last year, a fourth-grader from Migdal HaE-mek thanked them for teaching science and technology in a warm and friendly manner. “It’s important to me that you know I came each time full of curiosity and joy,” he wrote. “You taught me that it is possible to make something from anything, and that there is something hidden to discover and learn even from things that seem like nothing at all.”The professor and his protégéThe seeds of Ofanim were planted in the 1970s in the Negev city of Beersheva. The Dahan family, including 10 children and two parents of modest means, lived across the road from the new university

– though it may just as well have been on a different planet.

Mrs. Dahan was a cook at the local community center, where she befriended a ballet teacher named Madeline Berg-man. Mrs. Dahan invited Mrs. Bergman home for lunch one summer day, and she brought along her husband, Prof. Samuel Bergman, cofounder of BGU’s computer-science department. The pro-fessor asked Haim, the Dahans’ middle child, if he knew about computers. The ninth-grader could only guess that it had something to do with football (soccer).

“So, the professor invited me dur-ing that summer break to come over to the university to study and become ac-quainted with computers,” Haim relates on the website of Friends of Ofanim.

“I was very lucky to receive six private lessons and have the chance to be exposed to computers. Until this day I remember my first visit to the univer-sity. Up to that moment, I considered the university to be like Olympus; that it belonged to the gods. When I entered through the campus gates, I felt as if entering a shrine. After my military service, I applied to Ben-Gurion to study computer science.”

Haim earned a master’s degree from BGU, then followed Bergman’s advice to study for his doctorate in engineer-ing in the United States. He worked for IBM for four years and then founded his own successful software company, which was sold in 1999. After 13 years abroad, he returned to Israel, earned a PhD from Tel Aviv University, and was eager to give back to children with similar background.

“He wanted to replicate the Prof. Bergman experience with other chil-dren from the periphery,” Kan tells ISRAEL21c. “He saw how it influenced his entire family; his younger siblings all finished university. As a good busi-ness analyst, he looked for a model and saw that in big cities there were good afterschool programs, but not in the little

towns of the Negev.”Ofanim Chairman

Oded Hadomi, CEO of Kaizen International Biotech, continues the story: “Every educational nonprofit organization must calculate the cost per child. Many remote villages have only eight or 12 kids per class, so it doesn’t pay for these organizations to implement programs there. Haim concluded that to do something for the long term it had to have mobility, so the same program could be presented at 3:00 p.m. in one village and in another at 4:00 p.m., and at 6:00 p.m. in another.

“He decided to come to the chil-dren with a mobile lab equipped with high-end computers and everything else needed to provide cutting-edge instruc-tion. He hired a carpenter and electrician to outfit a bus to his specifications.”

Established in 2004, Ofanim serves more than 45 Jewish and Arab areas in southern and northern Israel, provid-ing 86 weekly activities to some 1,200 children, many from low-income and/or one-parent families.

“We charge a nominal fee – 50 to 500 shekels per child per year – to instill a sense of commitment, but collection of fees is done through the local councils and not through us,” Kan clarifies.People powerThe sheer novelty of the bus-lab is enough to lure many middle-schoolers for a few sessions, says Hadomi. If they choose to continue, it’s due to the dedi-cation of the instructors, mostly college students but also software professionals, healthcare professionals and academics who see their work with Ofanim as a life mission.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is the people,” Hadomi says. “We require our teachers to be role models who allow the children to dream how they can be university students one day and duplicate Haim Dahan’s experience.”

Children from these areas typically do not expect to earn a college degree and aren’t aware of professional op-

portunities. For example, Kan relates that before starting Ofanim’s Young Doctors program, a group of fifth- and sixth-grade girls in an ultra-Orthodox town all said they wanted to be teachers. After completing the unit, many of the girls said they’d like to learn veterinary medicine, nursing or midwifery.

“We widen their horizons and succeed in showing them the world is bigger than they thought,” says Kan. “It’s fine if you want to be a teacher, but make sure you know what other choices you have.”

Two independent evaluation reports have shown that more than 90 percent of Ofanim participants gain greater self-sufficiency, self-confidence and motivation along with a more positive attitude toward education in general. The studies also indicate a high level of satisfaction among parents, teachers and administrators in the regions served.

The program’s annual budget is nearly 6 million shekels, or about $1.5 million. Half of this amount must be raised from Israeli sources to match the half donated by Friends of Ofanim in the United States, “making it a true Israeli-American partnership,” Hadomi notes. Among the major supporters of Ofanim are Applied Materials, the Rus-sell Berrie Foundation and the Rashi Foundation.

For more information, contact Resource Development Manager Yas-min Elad at [email protected] or +972-52-7350942.Abigail Klein Leichman is a writer and associate editor at ISRAEL21c. Prior to moving to Israel in 2007, she was a specialty writer and copy editor at a daily newspaper in New Jersey and has freelanced for a variety of newspapers and periodicals since 1984.

The Ofanim buses can reach where other afterschool programs can-not afford to go (photos courtesy of Ofanim)

Afterschool sessions are led by college students and professionals

Participants in Ofanim’s Young Doctors program learn about careers in healthcare


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ISRAEL EMBASSY REOPENS IN EGYPT AFTER FOUR YEARSIsrael has reopened an embassy in Cairo after four years of closure, the Israeli prime minister’s spokesman to the Arab media, Ofir Gendelman, an-nounced on Wednesday, September 9. Dore Gold, the director-general of Is-rael’s foreign ministry, attended the re-opening ceremony along with Israel’s ambassador to Cairo, Haim Koren. In September 2011, a few months after the outbreak of the January 25 revolu-tion, hundreds of Egyptian protesters stormed the former premises in Giza. (Al-Ahram - Egypt)

KUWAITI COLUMNIST: ISRAEL IS A FRIENDLY COUNTRYWriting in the Kuwaiti government daily Al-Watan on Saturday, August 1, columnist Abdallah Al-Hadlaq argued that if Iran attains nuclear weapons it will not hesitate to use them against the Gulf states, whereas Israel, which has possessed such weapons for years, has never used them in its wars against the Arabs. Al-Hadlaq called upon the Gulf states to sever their ties with Iran and form an alliance with Israel, strength-ening political, commercial and even military ties.

“I anticipate that the servants and agents of Iran in the region, who have Persian blood running in their veins...will accuse me of ‘Zionism, collaborat-ing with Israel.’... [But] the scales have dropped from the eyes of the Arab and Muslim peoples, and they have real-ized...that their only bitter enemies are

the Persian Iranians, not the friendly State of Israel.” (MEMRI)

POLL: PALESTINIAN SUPPORT FOR BOYCOTT OF ISRAELI PRODUCTS DECLINESThere has been a decline in the level of Palestinian support for boycott cam-paigns against Israeli products, accord-ing to a public opinion poll by the Je-rusalem Media and Communications Center.

The percentage of those who sup-port a boycott of all Israeli products dropped from 59% last March to 49% this August. The percentage who said they personally boycott all Israeli products dropped from 49% last March to 34% this August.

Asked about priorities for the Pal-estinian Authority, 27% cited the cost of living, 21% mentioned the recon-struction of Gaza, and 20% said en-forcing the law.

65% said they were unsympathetic with the Islamic State or Salafist move-ments, while 4% said they were sym-pathetic. (Jerusalem Media and Com-munications Center)

EGYPT-ISRAEL ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP A SUCCESSThe Egyptian-Israeli free-trade frame-work known as Qualifying Industrial Zones, or QIZs, has pumped billions into Cairo’s vulnerable economy over the past decade.

QIZs are industrial parks through which Egypt (and Jordan) can export goods under the flag of the U.S.-Israeli free-trade agreement. Egypt is now home to 15 QIZs and Jordan to 13,

which together account for some $1 billion in exports a year.

Egyptian QIZs now supply fabrics to American brands such as Gap and Levi Strauss, and provide a livelihood for nearly 300,000 people.

In February, Cairo announced plans to double its QIZ textile exports within three years. (Oren Kessler, For-eign Affairs)

BET SHE’ARIM - ISRAEL’S 9TH WORLD HERITAGE SITEUNESCO’s World Heritage Confer-ence recently declared the necropolis of Bet She’arim, located in the lower Galilee and dating from the 2nd century BCE, a World Heritage Site – Israel’s ninth.

Calling it “a landmark of Jew-ish renewal,” the UNESCO’s World Heritage Conference described the site: “Consisting of a series of cata-combs, the necropolis of Bet She’arim developed from the 2nd century BCE onwards as the primary Jewish burial place outside Jerusalem following the failure of the second Jewish revolt against Roman rule. Located south-east of Haifa, these catacombs are a treasury of artworks and inscriptions in Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. Bet She’arim bears unique testimony to ancient Judaism under the leadership of Rabbi Judah the Patriarch, who is credited with Jewish renewal after 135 CE.”

The ancient Jewish town of Bet She’arim reached its zenith in the 2nd-4th centuries CE. The inhabitants of Bet She’arim hewed grand tombs deep within the hill, with rock-cut burial chambers and stone coffins (sarcoph-agi). The rooms and the sarcophagi feature an abundance of carved reliefs, inscriptions and wall paintings. Stone-carved doors, which imitate the style of wooden doors, were fashioned to close some of the caves.

In the third century CE, Bet She’arim became a renowned Jew-ish center due to the presence of the spiritual leader Rabbi Judah Hanasi, head of the Sanhedrin. The Roman au-

thorities, who supported his leadership, gave him much property, including an estate at Bet She’arim. Rabbi Judah moved the Sanhedrin from Shefar’am to Bet She’arim, and towards the end of his life to Zippori. He was buried at Bet She’arim in 220 CE.

The Israel Nature and Parks Au-thority noted that the site is the oldest and most densely populated cemetery in Israel, and one of the most crowded burial sites in the Roman world, simi-lar to the catacombs in Rome. “This is the most important ancient Jewish cemetery, and it contains a wide variety of architectural burial styles, contain-ing a varied wealth of Classical Orien-tal Roman art, combined with folk art, with hundreds of inscriptions in four languages – Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and Palmyric.”

Last year, Beit Guvrin was de-clared a World Heritage Site. Other sites previously added to the pres-tigious list were the Nahal Me’arot Nature Reserve, the Baha’i holy sites in Haifa and the Western Galilee, the Incense Route and its Nabatean towns, the biblical tels of Megiddo, Hazor and Be’er Sheva, The White City of Tel Aviv, Masada and the Old City of Acre. The Old City of Jerusalem and its walls were the first Israeli heritage site declared by UNESCO, in 1981. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

PALESTINIAN MAN GETS THREATS FOR SAVING U.S. JEWISH STUDENTS Faiz Abu Hamadiah, 51, of Hebron in the West Bank, says he has been receiving death threats ever since he gave shelter to five American Jewish tourists who were attacked by a Pales-tinian mob on Thursday, September 3.

Hamadiah told Israel Channel 2 TV on Sunday, September 6, that people threatened to “burn his house down, or cut off his head.”

“I’m not a hero; this is what every person should have done. I did it be-cause I’m a human being,” he said. “I did the right thing. We need to live here together.” (Times of Israel)

THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS IN ARAB COUNTRIESIn Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Syria, Palestinians are treated as sec-ond- and third-class citizens. After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, the Palestinians were the first to “congratulate” Saddam Hussein. When Kuwait was liberated the following year by a U.S.-led coalition, 200,000 Palestinians were expelled from the emirate in retaliation.

Since 2003, the number of Pales-tinians in Iraq has dropped from 25,000 to 6,000 due to systematic attacks and intimidation by Shiite militias. Pales-tinians captured by Shiite militias have been brutally tortured and forced to “confess” to their alleged involvement in terrorism. Tens of thousands of Pal-estinians have also fled Syria.

What is most interesting is the complete indifference displayed by in-ternational human rights organizations, the media and the Palestinian Author-ity toward the mistreatment of Pales-tinians in Arab countries. PA leaders say they want to press “war crimes” charges against Israel with the Interna-tional Criminal Court. However, when it comes to ethnic cleansing and tor-ture of Palestinians in Arab countries, the Palestinian leadership chooses to look the other way. Western journalists don’t care about the Palestinians in the Arab world because this is not a story that can be blamed on Israel. (Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute)

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18 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties COMMENTARY

Letter to the Editor

Now exposed – Iran already waging war against Israel By Benyamin Korn, August 31, 2015

On August 16, the Israeli Army revealed that Iran has been directing terrorist attacks from

Syria against Israelis in the Golan Heights region. Nobody paid attention. Four days later, Iranian-sponsored rockets from Syria struck Israel’s Up-per Galilee. Is anybody listening now?

For weeks, supporters of Israel have been warning that the emerging Iran agreement would give Tehran funds that it could use to wage war against Israel through its proxies. But now it turns out that Iran is already waging that war. The question is, who is paying attention?

On August 16, a “senior Israeli Army Northern Command officer” revealed to journalists that for the past twenty months, Iran has “directed” terrorist attacks against Israelis in the Golan Heights. “All of the attacks in the Golan Heights sector since December 2013 have been carried out with Iranian direction,” the officer told reporters, ac-cording to the Israeli daily Israel Hayom. All of the attacks. Not one or two. All of them. “Directed” from Tehran.

The officer said that “several hun-dred Hezbollah operatives are currently

active on the Syrian side of the border in the Golan Heights.” He said, “Iran sends advisers [to the area] and provides money, weapons and training [to terror-ists operating there].”

Among the Iranian-directed terrorist cells operating in the Golan, he said, is a cell led by one Samir Kuntar. Does that name ring a bell?

A Lebanese native, Kuntar is a vet-eran of the Palestine Liberation Front. The PLF, a member-organization of the PLO, was headed by Abu Abbas. Its most infamous attacks were the Achille Lauro hijacking in 1985, and an attempted attack on the Tel Aviv beach-front that resulted in the Bush adminis-tration withdrawing its recognition of the PLO.

In January 1978, Kuntar and three other PLF terrorists hatched a plan to hijack an Israeli bus traveling from Beit She’an to nearby Tiberias. (Note: It had nothing to do with “occupied ter-ritories” or “settlements.” This was to be an attack on a civilian bus within the pre-1967 borders.) The hijackers were arrested by the Jordanian police as they tried to swim across the Jordan River into Israel. In less than a year, however, Jordan set them free. Apparently the Jordanians don’t regard conspiracy to commit mass murder of Jews as a par-ticularly serious crime.

In April 1979, four PLF gangsters led by Kuntar infiltrated the northern Israeli coastal city of Nahariya. They murdered an Israeli policeman and broke into an apartment at random. The mother, Smadar Haran, hid in a closet with her two year-old daughter, Yael, and a neighbor. While trying to keep Yael from crying, Smadar accidentally smothered her.

The terrorist took the father, Danny Haran, and their four year-old daugh-ter, Einat, hostage, and forced them at gunpoint to the nearby beachfront.

There, Kuntar shot Danny in the head and murdered Einat by crushing her with the butt of his rifle (or with a large rock, according to some reports). Kuntar was captured by the Israelis – and then released in a 2008 prisoner exchange. Now, thanks to the Iranians, Kuntar lives in the Syrian-controlled section of the Golan Heights. Perhaps not surprisingly, he is the recipient of a Syrian Order of Merit from his kindred spirit, the mass murderer Bashar Assad. “Kuntar has recruited local Syrians to join the ranks of his cell,” the Israeli officer said.

How serious is the likelihood of attacks from Kuntar’s group and other terror gangs in the Golan? “At any given moment, the IDF North-ern Command faces at least two warnings of impending attacks in the Golan region,” the officer said. In fact, just two weeks ago, the IDF “conducted an exercise simulating an Israeli incursion into Syria in response to attacks on the border… The main threat in the area is posed by jihadi groups, not the Syrian military.”

“At any given mo-ment.” Sure enough, just four days later, Iranian rockets from Syria struck in the Up-per Galilee. Air-raid sirens sounded for the first time in years, as residents of local towns and kibbutzim grabbed their children and ran, panic-stricken, to their bomb shelters.

It was bad enough

when it turned out that the Iran deal would give the Iranians hundreds of millions of dollars, which they could use to help Hezbollah and Hamas. And it was bad enough when it was revealed that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently authored a 416-page book on the need to destroy Israel.

But now it turns out that the danger is not hypothetical, and Tehran is not just using words. It is already engaged in a daily proxy terror war against America’s ally, Israel.Benyamin Korn is chairman of the Philadelphia Religious Zionists, and former executive editor of the Philadel-phia Jewish Exponent and the Miami Jewish Tribune.

The Iran deal: winners and losers? By David Harris, Executive Director, AJC, September 11, 2015

Now that a Senate minority has blocked the bipartisan majority from an up-or-down vote on

arguably the most significant foreign policy measure in a generation, some in the media are rushing to judgment about winners and losers.

The White House is cast as the big winner, of course.

The pro-Israel community is de-picted – with barely hidden glee in such outlets as The New York Times – as the big loser. Let me suggest two other ways of looking at the balance sheet.

First, the White House indeed achieved what it sought – a clear path-way to implementing the P5+1 deal with Iran reached in Vienna on July 14. That’s unquestionably true.

But to accomplish that, here’s what it had to do. It had to declare the accord an “executive agreement” rather than a treaty, which would have required an un-attainable two-thirds vote in the Senate.

It had to go straight to the UN Se-curity Council after Vienna, giving such countries as Malaysia and Venezuela the chance to vote on the deal before mem-bers of the U.S. Congress were able to assess it, thus essentially narrowing the space for legislative review.

It had to pull out all the stops with many reluctant Democrats, who even in announcing their support for the deal couldn’t bring themselves to wax enthusiastic about it, and in several cases explicitly criticized what they were voting for.

It had to disregard increasingly skeptical American public opinion, ranging from a Pew study that found only 21 percent of those surveyed sup-ported the deal, to a Rasmussen study that found support among just 32 per-cent of the respondents.

It had to overlook a decisive bipar-tisan vote of disapproval, 269-162, in the House of Representatives.

And it had to ignore the fact that relying on a Senate minority from only one party – itself quite unprecedented – could create risks going forward, de-pending on future electoral outcomes.

So it’s not entirely clear that this was a “stinging defeat,” as the Times phrased it.

And I would add two other unin-tended consequences of the drive to push through the deal.

For one thing, virtually the entire Israeli political spectrum, including both government and opposition, spoke out against the deal. Much was made of a very few former officials who voiced support, but in Israel they were totally drowned out by the across-the-board political leadership, as well as overwhelming majorities of Israelis who told pollsters they opposed the deal. For anyone who follows Israeli politics, such consensus happens as often as the appearance of Halley’s Comet.

And for another, Israel and its Sunni Arab neighbors shared the exact same concerns about the deal and its implica-tions for the region. That, too, doesn’t happen very often, to say the least. But it did in this case, even if the Arab countries, in the end, chose to voice their deep concerns largely in private, while negotiating for new American weapons systems and security guarantees.

There’s also a second way of assess-ing the balance sheet.

We may not know the real winners and losers for quite some time, since this deal runs for a number of years. Only then will we have the one verdict that actually counts.

And that verdict will be based, above all, on whether the promises and assurances of the deal’s supporters are fulfilled. Here are some of them: President Barack Obama:

� “[The Senate vote on the Iran deal] is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security, and for the safety and security of the world.” (September 10, 2015)

� “After two years of negotiations, we have achieved a detailed ar-rangement that permanently pro-hibits Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. It cuts off all of Iran’s pathways to a bomb. It contains the most comprehensive inspection and verification regime ever negotiated to monitor a nuclear program.” (August 5, 2015)

� “If Iran violates the agreement over the next decade, all of the sanctions can snap back into place. We won’t need the support of other mem-bers of the UN Security Council; America can trigger snapback on our own.” (August 5, 2015)

� “Should Iran seek to dash toward a nuclear weapon, all of the options available to the United States – in-cluding the military option – will remain available through the life of the deal and beyond.” (August 19, 2015)

Secretary of State John Kerry: � “Iran’s nuclear program will remain

subject to regular inspections for-ever. Iran will have to provide access to all of its nuclear facilities forever. Iran will have to respond promptly to requests for access to any suspicious site forever. And if Iran at any time – at any time – embarks on nuclear activities that are incompatible with a wholly peaceful program, it will

be in violation of the agreement forever.” (September 2, 2015)

� “The agreement gives us a wide range of enforcement tools, and we will use them. And the standard we will apply can be summed up in two words: zero tolerance.” (September 2, 2015)

� “The people of Israel will be safer with this deal, and the same is true for the people throughout the re-gion.” (September 2, 2015)

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman:

� “They will not obtain a nuclear weapon, and now we can focus our resources, our relationships, on solving the other problems in the region.” (July 16, 2015)

Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz: � “In regards to 24 days [for in-

spections to occur], we are very confident that activities involving nuclear materials will be detect-able.” (July 17, 2015) If indeed these promises and as-

surances are achieved, as I hope they will be, then those of us who have been opponents of the deal will owe a big apology to supporters. But if they’re not, then hold on to your hats and fasten your seat belts – an already dangerous world will become exponentially more so. Meanwhile, a bit of restraint on sweeping judgments of winners and losers might well be in order.For more information, visit www.ajc.org.

As Roy Orbison proclaimed in one of his top hits, “It’s Over.” I am referring to the culmina-

tion of our President’s obsession with turning evil into goodness via the Ira-nian appeasement arrangement. This significant act makes an always uncer-tain future irreparably more uncertain and utterly dangerous.

Most alarmingly, however, is the support of this act by so many of my fellow Jews. Considering that there are only about 14 million of us left in a worldwide population of over 7 billion, one would tend to think that the life of any Jew becomes, in some spiritual/social/political manner, a concern and/or responsibility for all Jews, regard-less of their locale. Indifference, igno-rance and detachment might even be “excused,” but for so many prominent Jews in the government and the media to exercise not only enthusiastic sup-port for the Iran deal but to vehemently attack those of us that are opposed to it, is almost beyond belief.

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19 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesCOMMENTARY

COMMENTARY BRIEFS

Letter to the Editor

Now exposed – Iran already waging war against Israel

The Iran deal: winners and losers?

As Roy Orbison proclaimed in one of his top hits, “It’s Over.” I am referring to the culmina-

tion of our President’s obsession with turning evil into goodness via the Ira-nian appeasement arrangement. This significant act makes an always uncer-tain future irreparably more uncertain and utterly dangerous.

Most alarmingly, however, is the support of this act by so many of my fellow Jews. Considering that there are only about 14 million of us left in a worldwide population of over 7 billion, one would tend to think that the life of any Jew becomes, in some spiritual/social/political manner, a concern and/or responsibility for all Jews, regard-less of their locale. Indifference, igno-rance and detachment might even be “excused,” but for so many prominent Jews in the government and the media to exercise not only enthusiastic sup-port for the Iran deal but to vehemently attack those of us that are opposed to it, is almost beyond belief.

Acclaiming the righteousness in strengthening a regime that has the potential to exceed Hitler’s goal has many possible reasons that basically defy all reason and the fundamental role of self-preservation, i.e., the desire to perpetuate one’s life.

The first (and somewhat paradoxi-cal) explanation refers to an expanded version of self-preservation that does not pertain to an imminent threat to one’s life. Many Jews, throughout his-tory, have acquired a “Ghetto Mental-ity” based upon their segregated status in various lands, ruled by a wide variety of potentates, from the tolerant to the oppressive. A customary way of coping was to avoid “rocking the boat,” which would only lead to harsher conditions. (Of course, this was totally unsuccess-ful in dealing with the Nazis.) “What will they think of us?” became a sort of rallying cry that was meant to soften the machinations of the oppressors. Pushback would only serve to make matters worse.

This is precisely the attitudes of many American Jews who believe that Israel is the main source of Middle East unrest. Thus, demonstrating in favor of emboldening a regime dedi-cated to destroying Israel is their way of accepting an onerous fate for their brethren while fortifying their own sta-tus as fair-minded citizens of our great country.

Allied with this unfortunate men-tality is the not-too-uncommon dissat-isfaction of too many Jews with their own Jewishness, or simply put, “Why did I have to be born Jewish?” Many famous persons throughout history, e.g., Disraeli, Marx and Albright, have left their Jewish roots in order to get rid of the restrictions that anti-Semi-tism would have placed on their lives. Of course, untold thousands converted to Christianity, but as the Inquisition and the Holocaust proved, it didn’t matter. Many Jews, especially of the younger generation, are Jewish only in the technical sense. They have no (even remote) allegiance to Israel, and generally are largely ignorant of and/or indifferent to the Holocaust.

Interwoven with the foregoing is

the very desirable economic status of American Jews. Their level of educa-tion, coupled with their high earning power has created a belief in their own inviolate security. Thus, leave well enough alone. Also, intermarriage and assimilation have weakened a source of Jewish identity. Secularism has also taken a huge toll as religions have been relentlessly attacked by groups dis-avowing the existence of a higher be-ing. In all these situations, maintaining one’s Jewishness becomes increasingly tenuous and challenging.

Nevertheless, for Jews, especially for most of the Jewish Senators and Representatives to endorse the most powerful foe of Jews since Hitler is indeed incredulous. Worshipping the “Torah of liberalism” can be quite ex-pensive. Party loyalty should have its limitations. The delusions, denials and devotion to the increasingly anti-Israel Democratic Party lead to another “d,” danger.

First, they annihilate the Jews of Israel. Next, they came for...Samuel Frazer, Fort Myers

APPEAL FOR UNITY AFTER IRAN VOTESeptember 16, 2015For more than a decade, the Confer-ence of Presidents has been address-ing the dangers posed by the extremist Islamist regime in Iran. We have been sounding alarms about Iran’s drive for regional hegemony, support for ter-rorist organizations including Hamas and Hizbullah, gross violations of hu-man rights, its long-standing drive for nuclear weapons, efforts to undermine U.S. allies and other governments in the region, and its repeatedly declared in-tention to seek the destruction of Israel.

� Despite any differences, there is a shared goal among all of our mem-ber organizations, the larger com-munity, the Administration, Con-gress, and our allies, that Iran not

be allowed to secure or have the ability to produce nuclear weap-ons. There can be no time limit on this. Iran must never be allowed to have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.

� Week after week, polls showed increasing concern regarding the negotiations with the Iranian re-gime. They question if the agree-ment will provide the safeguards necessary to achieve the intended purpose. They see the expected fi-nancial windfall for Iran as likely to be used for terrorism and other destructive activities. Moreover, they are concerned that the UN Se-curity Council Resolution appears to allow for early termination of the restrictions on conventional and ballistic weapons.

� Israel should not, is not, and cannot be a partisan issue. The American people in every poll show over-whelming support and understand-ing for Israel. They recognize it as a key democratic ally with shared values and objectives. We hope and trust that the assurances of-fered during recent weeks regard-ing Israel’s security needs will be met. The mutual support and coop-eration between the U.S. and Israel are vital to both. It is essential for those, particularly Iran, who might seek to harm the U.S. and Israel to see that the two countries remain aligned.

� It is essential that the Iranian gov-ernment understand, and believe, the determination of the U.S. and our allies to use “all means” to as-sure full Iranian compliance and cooperation. The calls for death to America still echo at Friday prayers, sometimes led by Kha-

meini himself. History has long taught us to take the threats of dic-tators seriously.

� We do not want lingering disputes to inhibit or detract from the need to continue to address the chal-lenges posed by Iran and other vi-tal issues that we will face in the near future. Everyone should now be looking to come together on “the day after.” We must emerge stronger and in a better position to ensure that the nefarious goals of the Iranian regime be challenged effectively and with determination. We must continue to educate and alert the American people and the world to the dangers posed by Iran and especially an emboldened Iran.(Stephen M. Greenberg, chair,

and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice president, of the Conference of Presi-dents of Major American Jewish Orga-nizations)

Opinions and letters printed in L’CHAYIM do not

necessarily reflect those of the Jewish Federation of Lee

and Charlotte Counties, its Board of Directors or staff,

or the advertisers.

20 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties FROM THE B IMAH

n Rabbi Robert Ourach

A religion of love

Bill Gates and Torah

n Rabbi Bruce Diamond

While sitting in my office and thinking about the be-ginning of the school year,

I turned to the pages of a beautiful prayer book called Likrat Shabbat. In

it, I came across a passage entitled, To-rah: A Gift of Love. The passage reminds us of important re-sponsibilities as well as Jewish attitudes which should always help us as parents and teachers. The passage teaches:

A loving parent does not show genuine love by telling a child, “Do whatever you want.” That would not indicate love, but lack of concern and abdication of responsibility. The truly loving parent says to the child, “I care

very much about you and although I cannot live your life for you, I want you to have the benefit of my experi-ence.”

The Jew understood from the be-ginning that Judaism was a religion of love because it did not leave him to find the way through life alone and unaided. It offered advice, insight and experience. It was out of God’s love and concern for Israel that He gave us the Torah so that, instead of stumbling blindly, we might be aided by its prin-ciples, take heed of its warnings and draw closer.

May these words inspire us as we work and study with our children. May Judaism always help us in finding the path that will strengthen our relation-ships with each other and with God.Rabbi Robert Ourach serves at Temple Beth El in Fort Myers.

There is a world of difference between making a living and making a life.

Ask a fellow Jew: “How are you doing?” He will say grudgingly, “I

make a living.” But it is hard to find any-one talking about making a life. They all talk about mak-ing a living as if they were the same. May-be one way to even the playing field and the odds is to match how to make a liv-

ing with the Torah’s version of how to make a life.

To play fair, my opponent is Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire, who recently presented his views of life choices to young people.

Gates: “Life is not fair – get used to it!”

Torah: All the more reason to pur-sue justice and equity. Jacob discov-ers that people who give themselves permission to cheat and lie end up in a world where no one is trusted.

Gates: “The world won’t care about your self-esteem. Accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.”

Torah: Feeling good always fol-lows doing good.

Gates: “You will not make $60,000 right out of high school. You won’t be vice president with a car phone until you earn both!”

Torah: “We ascend to God one step at a time, not in a great leap of enthu-siasm.”

n Rabbi Devora Buchen

Gates: “If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss!”

Torah: Our toughest and kindest boss is God.

Gates: “Flipping burgers is not be-neath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for flipping burg-ers. They called it opportunity.”

Torah: Is the glass half empty or half full? Learning occurs everywhere. To quote the Torah: “Sometimes we are in the presence of achieving great things of which we are not always aware.”

Gates: “If you mess up, it is not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them!”

Torah: A mistake is just a mistake. Move on. But don’t absolve yourself the way Cain did when he exclaimed: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The hard answer is YES, WE ALL ARE!

Gates: “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.”

Torah: Embrace and value differ-ence. A wonderful vision for the 21st century is that all people will live un-der one God. That is the challenge of our young people today.

What then is the essence of liv-ing? Mathew Arnold spelled it out in a very simple sentence. “Life is not a having and a getting but a being and a becoming.” Gates lists the downside, but Torah always seeks the high road of blessing. I would add: In vain we make a living unless we also build a life.Rabbi Devora Buchen serves at Temple Beth Shalom in Cape Coral.

More than meets the eye

n Rabbi Solomon Agin

Two women were visiting an art museum. One of the women, obviously eager to get it over

with and go to lunch, said as they were approaching a picture: “It looks just

like a photograph.” The friend respond-ed, “Well, as long as we are here, let us look and see.” They moved closer to the picture and the first woman stopped, ex-amined it very close-ly for a few moments and then turned to

her friend and noted, “You know, as you look at the details there is really more here than meets the eye.”

I wonder if this woman’s comment does not in one way or another apply to all of us. We go through life seeing things as we are and not as they are. We do not see what is really there but rath-er what we have been conditioned to observe. Yet, in every situation there is more than really even the most trained eye sees.

For example, we go to a restau-rant and we want immediate service. On occasion, we see the server as be-ing curt or rude. Immediately, we re-spond in kind. But, we never stop to think perhaps the server is rushed and pushed or has a headache. Is it not pos-sible that the server has a sick child at home or is under some strain? Are they really angry at us or is it that they are just upset? Should we not think before we react because there might just be a little bit more to it than meets the eye?

Actually, isn’t this what we mean when we say, “stereotype,” which re-ally implies, “fixed thinking,” or to quote Webster, “repetition of the same posture or form of speech?” Those who engage in stereotyped thinking fail to know, and fail to see so much of the world. It is indeed their loss.

Dive into the sea of thought and draw precious pearls. – a quote from Rabbi Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra that shares the above.Rabbi Solomon Agin serves at Temple Shalom in Port Charlotte.

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21 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesFROM THE B IMAH

Bar / Bat Mitzvah SpecialistChoosing the right photographer is an important decision.

Michael Shapiro has more than 30 years experience in media and journalism. He is able to capture images that are unique,

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Reaching beyond the horizon

The diversity of Jewish life

What do you think?Send your letters and comments

to [email protected].

SIGN UP TODAY! Enrollment is open to families raising Jewish children between the ages of six months to eight years

living in Lee & Charlotte counties.

Families can sign up for PJ Library at www.pjlibrary.org

For more information, contact Leni Sack at [email protected] or 239.481.4449 x3

SHARE the experience of reading with your children

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Funded in Lee & Charlotte Counties by the Roth

Family Foundation and the Asher Family Foundation .

Reuven Rivlin, the president of Israel – largely a ceremonial post – is a lifelong member of

the Likud Party. He is also a believer in human rights and maintaining the Jew-ish ethics of the state. After the July

31 firebombing of a Palestinian home by Israeli vigilantes in which an 18-month-old and his father were killed, Presi-dent Rivlin wrote, “My people have chosen the path of terror and lost hu-man form.” To this,

Daniella Weiss, a leader of a settlers’ group, responded, “Rivlin can sleep quietly. He’s not important enough to be killed.”

Here in this country, after Rep-resentative Gerald Nadler, Democrat of New York, announced that he sup-ported the administration’s nuclear

deal with Iran (a deal that I oppose), there were postings on his Facebook page saying that he had “blood on his hands,” and that he had “facilitated Obama’s holocaust.”

I never believed, at least not on any superficial level, the longtime slogan of the Federation world, “We Are One.” I celebrate the diversity of Jewish life and believe that our tolerance for mul-tiple approaches to the same question is one of our sources of strength.

This tolerance for differences goes back to the Torah itself. At the begin-ning of Genesis, we find two very dif-ferent stories of creation and the Torah seems to say, “they’re both right.” The Torah even allows for contradiction. In Genesis, the Torah tells us that Jacob married sisters, Leah and Rachel. In Leviticus (18:18) the Torah says that a man cannot marry a woman and her sister. We Jews live comfortably with contradiction. We don’t expect all Jews to believe or practice the same way.

But we must be civil. On Yom Kip-pur, in the long litany of sins for which we strike our chests, fully one-third of the offenses are about the words that came out of our mouths. Because we Jews are lovers of language, we know how destructive our words can be to individuals and to the fabric of society. Even words said in the heat of an ar-gument, or said to be emphatic, can be understood literally by others. God for-bid that someone should take Daniella Weiss’ words to the next step.

I do think that we Jews are one in that we share a common destiny. The struggles of one Jewish community af-

fect all of us. I would even go so far to say that we share some common val-ues, to wit, all our words and actions count. Apparently, that ethic has been lost in some of our quarters.

By the time this article appears in print, the Iran deal will be decided and it will be time to rebuild relationships that were damaged. We should also think about the quality of the relation-ships within our own community. The tenor of Jewish disagreement is too strident. It is damaging to Jewish life and the strength of the Jewish people.Rabbi Marc Sack serves at Temple Judea in Fort Myers.

n Rabbi Marc Sack

Having grown up with the Space Age, I have witnessed immea-surable expenditures of wealth,

intellect, energy and lives that our spe-cies has spent to shoot metal tubes and cans into our backyard. Given the vast-

ness of the universe and the impossible distances between its objects, our efforts seem pretty pathetic, like ants crawling across a countertop.

Why do we do it? It is an expres-sion of an essential human trait: curios-ity, the urge to reach

over the horizon. Our prehistoric ancestors had two

major migrations out of our African birthplace. The first was nearly 2 mil-lion years ago when we were not quite human, and the other as humans about 100,000 years ago.

Why did they leave? The African continent easily provided them with all their material needs, and the popula-tions could not have numbered more than tens of thousands, plenty of room to comfortably spread out in familiar environments.

They went for the same reason we launch people and things into the sky. It’s what we do.

Unfortunately, if Einstein was right, we won’t be getting very far, at least any time soon and probably never.

Let’s have a little fun with math. The speed of light is over 670 million miles per hour. At that speed, it takes over 4 years to get to the nearest star. The best we can do now in space is about 17,500 miles per hour. At that speed it would take 170,000 years to reach that star, about as long as the hu-man species has existed!

The problem, as Einstein described it, is that the closer an object gets to the speed of light, the more mass it takes on, and the more mass, the more fuel is required, which takes on even more mass. The giant colliders we use to smash protons use enormous amounts of energy (200 megawatts, enough to power 300,000 homes) to move 2 protons even close to the speed of light and there are more than 602000000000000000000000 protons in a thimble of water!

The point is that we will never be going all that fast and all that far in the physical universe.

So what are we to do with that deep-seated human urge to reach be-yond the horizon?

We pray.Rabbi Bruce Diamond serves at The Community Free Synagogue in Fort Myers.

n Rabbi Bruce Diamond

More than meets the eye


JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

(239) 566-1771All roads lead to Rome, and some to NaplesMarina BerkovichOn my recent trip to Rome, I explored the roots of its Jewish community and found plenty of fascinating informa-tion, which I want to share with you.

Rome has the oldest Jewish com-munity in the Diaspora. In fact, the Roman Jewish community predates the Diaspora. Jews began settling in Rome in 196 B.C. They were mostly merchants whose dealings led them to Rome during the collaboration be-tween the Roman Empire and Judea.

After the conquest of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., about 10,000 Jews were brought into Rome and marched under the Arch of Titus in 82 A.D. to submit to the conquerors. Most of them were the slaves who built the Coliseum. Others were used in the many entertainment

FOCUS ON YOUTH / ORGANIZAT IONS

TEMPLE BETH EL SCHOOLSFort Myers

Religious SchoolDale M. Cohen, R.J.E., MA, Educ., Religious School Director We are certainly off to a wonderful start as we begin the Jewish New Year of 5776. Our Religious School contin-ues to flourish with all of our program-ming for our wonderful students.

I would like to take this oppor-tunity to wish all of our students and their families a Happy and a Healthy New Year. Shanah Tovah to all! May this year bring good health, peace and prosperity to all of us!

Please remember to mark the fol-lowing dates on your calendars:

• On Sunday, October 4 at 11:00 a.m. during Religious School,

we will be consecrating (welcoming our new stu-dents into the Religious School) with a “special

assembly.” Please stay tuned for all the details.

• Our next Junior Congregation will be held on Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. in the Sanctuary. This is a mandatory part of our curriculum for our students in grades 4-7. This is a wonderful way to introduce our students to the Saturday morning liturgy.

• There will not be any Religious School on Wednesday, October 7 because we are asking all students to come and celebrate Simchat Torah in lieu of Wednesday Reli-gious School on Tuesday, October 6. Please read your High Holiday newsletter for all the details.

HAZAK 55+ CHAPTER at Temple Judea

(239) 433-0201

Join us on Sunday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m. at Temple Judea to see the film Torn Apart, a Middle East Romeo and Juliet story. The cost for snacks and soft drinks is $3 for HAZAK members and $5 for nonmembers. The group will meet for dinner after the movie at Nomiki‘s Plakka Greek Restaurant, 12901 McGregor Blvd., located across from The Landings. For additional information or to RSVP, call Shirley Schiffman at 239.395.0135.

Save the dates for the following exciting programs:

Sunday, November 8: Coney Is-land Dinner and feature film of a well-known comedian’s Las Vegas show. You won’t stop laughing.

Sunday, December 13: Special live show at Temple Judea featuring a local comedian. You won’t want to miss this

show.Temple Judea’s HAZAK 55+

Chapter is for singles or couples. The group is an organization that enables its members to meet and socialize with each other. HAZAK 55+ chapters are affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and Temple Judea’s HAZAK is a Chartered mem-ber. The dues are a modest $5 per year per person.

If you are interested in joining our HAZAK 55+ group and would like more information, please contact Joyce or George Rosinger at 239.437.1566, Harvey Cohen at 239.768.3677, or Roberta or Matt Lawrence at 239.245.7708.

JEWISH WAR VETERANSVictor Paul Tuchman Post 400

(239) 590-6774

Amy Snyder, Executive Director of the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida, preaches to the choirJoel HerschAs Jews, we all have listened to, or know personally the heart-wrenching, gut-trying stories of Holocaust survi-vors. So Amy Snyder did not offer the packed-house audience of Jewish War Veterans Post 400 the kind of talk she often delivers to school children in the five counties of Southwest Florida.

Instead, she reviewed how the Ho-locaust Museum operates to fulfill the teaching mandate of the Holocaust in the public schools here. Florida is one of only six states that require teaching the history of the genocide, she said.

Amy recounted how the boxcar used to trans-port their human cargo to the death camps, and on loan to the Museum,

has been maintained; how the car will spend months during the school year parked at various Florida Southwestern State College campus sites to be avail-able for tours of students from area schools.

The Museum has catalogued the reminiscences of some 75 local Ho-locaust survivors on video. Amy em-phasized that it is so important that students hear the stories of a survivor in person, rather than read about dates and cold numbers. History learned that way does not teach the personal life and death decisions that occurred in the attempt to escape annihilation.

In a personal aside, Amy recalled the moving talk by a woman survivor that opened the eyes of her young au-dience sitting in rapt attention. At the conclusion of her short talk, the speak-er invited the students to come up and touch her. The reason she gave was to not allow anyone to tell the student that the Holocaust was a myth and did not happen. “You will know that it DID happen. You will be able to say that you actually touched a Holocaust sur-vivor, and heard her story,” she said.

Our Jewish War Veterans Post is treated to so many interesting pro-grams. If you are a veteran, we want you to join us. We meet the last Sunday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at the Fed-eration office for a light breakfast and a memorable program. You are cordially invited to attend.

Amy Snyder, JWV Post 400 Commander Harvey Charter, and JWV member Eugene Gordon

• There will not be any Religious School on Sunday, October 25. Lee County has a long weekend. The following students will be

called to the Torah as B’nai Mitzvah in October:

• Brianna Levy – October 3• Ian Calder – October 10• Brianna Murray – October 17

We are so proud of our students and wish them much mazel and naches on one of the most meaningful days of their lives!

The Learning TreeJesyca Russell Virnig, M.A.Ed., DirectorThe new school year at The Learning Tree is well under way and the first stage in our playground renovation is getting wrapped up. Our huge thanks go out to the Temple Beth El Sister-hood for their thoughtful contribution to our playground. They held a quar-ter auction to raise funds for our new drinking fountain and outdoor water pump. This is the most popular spot on the playground and you can certainly see why. This helps us from a health and safety standpoint to provide con-tinual access to drinking water for the children. However, the area is also built

for so much fun and independence as the children learn to pump their own water, scoop and measure, and also learn about conservation and respon-sible water use.

There are still many donation op-portunities available if you would like to dedicate a piece of equipment with your business name, organization, fam-ily name, or honor the memory of your child’s preschool years as a Learning Tree alumni. Please contact me in the preschool office for more information at 239.433.5499.

We are also proud to announce that we recently achieved a Five Star Rat-ing for the second year in a row. This prestigious distinction reflects our core mission and demonstrates how we go way beyond state requirements to implement national best practices in the areas of teacher qualifications and professional development, child ratios and group sizes, curriculum and as-sessment, family communication and events, and more. We are particularly proud of the scores our teachers receive on their daily interactions, and how they are designed to make the most of learning and speak with children in a way that extends their thinking. Con-gratulations Learning Tree teachers!

TEMPLE JUDEA SCHOOLSFort Myers

Joann Goldman,Temple Judea Preschool DirectorAutumn will be exploding in our class-room during the month of October. We will discover the colors of autumn through themes such as leaves and pumpkins.

October is also Fire Safety Month. Along with learning about firefighters and safety, we are eagerly anticipating a visit from the local fire station.

We all need to remind our children, grandchildren and others visiting our home about safety rules. It is a time to remember the importance of learning and teaching fire safety.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to the threat of fire, with children under five suffering a fire death

rate of more than twice the national average. We can help change these frightening statistics by

teaching children about fire safety.“Stay away from hot things that

hurt; tell a grown-up when you find matches and lighters; stop, drop and roll; cool a burn; crawl low under smoke; know the sound of a smoke detector; practice an escape plan; and recognize the firefighter as a helper.”

Here are a few simple and practi-cal activities to help your child begin to learn about fire safety: Visit a fire station; read simple books about fire-fighters and fire safety; keep matches and lighters locked away and teach your child that if he/she finds some, to immediately tell an adult; learn the “Stop, drop and roll” technique; make an escape plan with your whole family; choose a meeting place outside.

Earn CAS CreditsThe Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties is interested in hearing from teenagers in high school who might like to earn CAS credits though various work in the Jewish community.

If you are interested, please send the following information to [email protected]:NameAddressPhone #AgeGradeSchoolPreferred volunteer hours (e.g. 2 - 5P.M. Sundays)


HUMANISTIC JEWISH HAVURAHof Southwest Florida

(239) 398-3935

JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

(239) 566-1771

ORT AMERICAGulf Beaches Chapter

(239) 649-4000

ORT America (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training)Did you know:

� ORT supports 325,000 students annually in 59 countries by providing technical education that emphasizes employable skills?

� ORT’s most famous (and least publicized) mission was to educate Holo-caust victims in DP camps so they were able to move on with their lives?

� ORT America has four college campuses in the U.S., including two in New York and one each in Chicago and Los Angeles, that serve the most vulner-able communities?

� ORT America is active in Southwest Florida? Please attend Gulf Beaches Chapter events and support ORT’s educational mission.Help ORT raise funds to save lives through education. To join/renew/trans-

fer, contact ORT America Gulf Beaches Chapter President Marina Berkov-ich at 239.566.1771, or Membership Chair Marebe Crouse at 239.263.4959. Please visit www.ortamerica.org for a virtual ORT experience.

Humanistic Jewish Havurah announces its upcoming eventsPaula CreedThe Humanistic Jewish Havurah of Southwest Florida has planned a very stimulating season. Although the ma-jority of our members are year-round residents, most of our activities take place during season.

Our new website was completed this summer. Visit www.hjhswfl.org to fully acquaint yourself with our orga-nization and our upcoming events. The user-friendly website includes a mem-bership application and instructions for submitting your dues.

Last month’s commemoration of Yom Kippur, a time of self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others, concluded with an opulent break-the-fast meal appropriate to the holiday. The experi-ence of observing this traditional holi-day in a meaningful fashion offered a unique opportunity for like-minded Southwest Floridians.

Chanukah will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 8 with a traditional holiday meal at Vasari Country Club.

Details will be posted on our website and in in the November issue of this publication. Much as the Maccabees seized

control of their own lives, Humanistic Jews take their future into their own hands. We celebrate Chanukah as a reminder that human beings can use their abilities to enhance their quality of life.

Later that month, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 20, Robert Levy, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Cato Institute, will speak on “God, Politics & Constitution - A Libertarian Point of View.” Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and freedom of choice, emphasizing political freedom, voluntary association, and the primacy of individual judgment. Does a human-istic philosophy overlap with this defi-nition?

Humanists share some ideals with libertarians, like support for same-sex marriage and separation of Church and State, but we may differ on their other political ideas such as foreign policy, the libertarian interpretation of the Second Amendment clause with re-spect to the rights of individuals to bear arms, and the libertarian position on abolishing our public welfare system.

This will be a very thought-provoking program. Because Robert Levy is such an articulate, erudite and entertaining speaker, this will be a most interesting meeting.

The Havurah purchased a block of tickets for the matinee performance of Informed Consent at Gulfshore Play-house on Sunday, January 10, thus seating will be available below the box office price. The play addresses the ethics of genetics. A theater discussion prior to the play will be an added at-traction.

Another provocative program is planned for the afternoon of Sunday, January 17. We have invited Hassan Shibly, Executive Director of the Flor-ida Council on American Islamic Rela-tions (CAIR) in Tampa, as our speaker. Shibly has appeared numerous times on both local and national media out-lets, including NPR, Voice of America, The New York Times, The Toronto Star and The Buffalo News, for his work protecting civil liberties and promot-ing understanding of the Muslim faith. Hassan’s work has earned him the at-

tention of various Islamaphobic pub-lications, which criticize Hassan for “deceiving the American people” by “promoting a peaceful and tolerant im-age of Islam.”

The weekend of February 19-21 brings a visitor from our national or-ganization, the Society for Humanis-tic Judaism. Rabbi Miriam Jerris will be involved in several activities dur-ing her visit, most notably her Sunday afternoon program titled “Living Authentically.”

Immigration is the topic at on Sunday afternoon, March 20. We are planning to discuss the impact of im-migrants on the American economy.

Our Seder will be held at the Boni-ta Bay Club on Saturday, April 23, and in May the Havurah typically presents an award-winning film depicting a hu-manistic theme.

These programs reflect topics pertinent to Humanistic Judaism. We invite the community to participate. Please mark your calendars now, so as not to miss our outstanding programs.

All roads lead to Rome, and some to NaplesMarina BerkovichOn my recent trip to Rome, I explored the roots of its Jewish community and found plenty of fascinating informa-tion, which I want to share with you.

Rome has the oldest Jewish com-munity in the Diaspora. In fact, the Roman Jewish community predates the Diaspora. Jews began settling in Rome in 196 B.C. They were mostly merchants whose dealings led them to Rome during the collaboration be-tween the Roman Empire and Judea.

After the conquest of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., about 10,000 Jews were brought into Rome and marched under the Arch of Titus in 82 A.D. to submit to the conquerors. Most of them were the slaves who built the Coliseum. Others were used in the many entertainment

battles. From then on, the Jews of Rome were re-quired to walk under the Arch of Titus annually, to submit to Rome and, sub-

sequently, to the Pope.The Italian Jews gathered for

prayers in temples, which did not face Jerusalem. They did not have to. That tradition was born after the Diaspora and introduced to Italy only with the appearance of the Spanish Jews flee-ing the Inquisition in the Middle Ages. After the Holocaust of WWII, many of the Ashkenazi Jews stayed in Rome.

There are many Italian Jewish families who are neither Sephardic nor Ashkenazi. They are the descendants of the pre-Diaspora Jewish families of Rome and their followers.

In the former ghetto area, right on the bank of the River Tiber, there stands the magnificent Synagogue of Rome. It was built in 1904 to replace two older, smaller synagogues (Italian and Spanish), which were located pre-viously on the same spot. The “new”

building also houses two synagogues, on different levels – one for the Sep-hardim, in the basement, and one for the Italians. The Italian Synagogue is for 800 people and is one of the largest in Europe. There is also a very unique Jewish Museum in the back of the heavily-guarded complex.

I found there were some interest-ing parallels between Rome and our Floridian Naples. Temple Shalom, for instance, also sits about 800 people.

The Jewish community of Rome is the oldest in the world, since the Jews of Israel were uprooted by the Judean War, and the Roman Jews were not. In the modern day region (Rome’s region is Lazio) of three million, the Jewish population is about 10,000, less than one half of one percent and the same number as those who entered Rome under the Arch of Titus.

History is present everywhere in the Ghetto, making one wonder wheth-er anything really changes there. Ex-cept for curious visitors.

In Southwest Florida, by contrast,

everything changes daily. After only a brief absence, one can spot a new building rising, or an old stretch of stores demolished. The growth is often so rapid, one forgets yesterday as soon as tomorrow dawns.

It is then, perhaps, somewhat unex-pected, that in Collier County, which is only 92 years old and has a population of approximately 340,000, that there are already about 10,000 Jews, which would be three percent of the residents.

What will happen to our commu-nity in another millennia or two, I won-der? Who would come digging for the remnants of its beginnings? What will they discover?

Preserving our history is our mis-sion at the Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida. Become a member, a sponsor, donate or volunteer. Take a step to participate. Email me at [email protected] or visit www.jhsswf.org.

Save the date for our next big event: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at the Collier County Mu-seum.

ORT to eternityMarina BerkovichEven those who have followed ORT’s progress for years may be interested in knowing more about its founders and how ORT has influenced Jews and the world since 1880.Part I. The Barons de Günzburg (continued from September issue)Horace de Günzburg (Naftali-Gerts Evzelevich Gintsburg aka Baron Go-ratsii Evzelevich Gintsburg) was born on February 8, 1833, in Zvenigorodka, Kiev Guberniya of Russia, and spent most of his life in St. Petersburg and Paris.

Horace was home schooled – the only option for a Jew of that time. He also studied Hebrew and the Talmud. “Talmud says…” was one of his favor-ite conversation openers.

At the age of 20 he married a cous-in, Anna Rosenberg.

In 1863, Horace de Günzburg be-came one of the founders of the Society for the Spread of Enlightenment among the Jews of Russia, the only society of its kind there. By the end of Horace’s life, there were 30 chapters and 7,000 members. His unrelenting frequent ap-peals to the Russian government aimed toward the improvement of the legal

status of Russian Jewry, and for the securing by legislation and by other means of their economic and moral welfare, made

him widely popular among the Jews.From 1868 to 1872, he served as

consul-general to Hesse-Darmstadt, when the title “Baron” was bestowed upon him in 1871 by the Grand Duke, with permission from the Tsar to ac-cept that title of nobility.

In 1880, together with Samuel Polyakov and Nikolai Bakst, de Gün-zburg petitioned Tsar Alexander II for permission to start an assistance fund which would provide vocational edu-cation and training in practical occupa-tions like handicrafts and agriculture for thousands of Russian Jews then liv-ing in poverty in the Pale of Settlement and would help them to help them-selves. The initiative would eventually evolve into the World ORT.

In 1882, he chaired the first Jewish Congress assembled in St. Petersburg.

In 1887, he participated in the dis-cussions of the High Commission on the Jewish Question.

He was elected president of the Hy-gienic and Low-House-Rent Society of St. Petersburg in 1890, and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Jewish Agricultural Society in 1893.

Baron de Günzburg was a longtime president of St. Petersburg synagogue. Under his patronage, several promi-

nent St. Petersburg non-Jewish edu-cational institutions were started. He was the benefactor of many Russian painters and musicians. Young Jasha Heifetz was one of his direct beneficia-ries. Horace was an honorary member of numerous charitable aid committees founded by Russian nobility.

In 1880, 1884 and 1888, he re-ceived the titles of Counsel of Com-merce, Secretary of State, and mem-ber of the council of commerce of the Treasury Department.

Once, when de Günzburg was rid-ing next to Tsar Nicholas II in a royal equipage, a peasant shouted out in dis-belief, “A kike sits next to our Tsar!” The man was detained. Horace asked to pardon him, even gifted him a gold ruble, an unattainable wealth for the poor in that era. “I rewarded him for

the extra reminder that I am a Jew.”Russian government conferred on

the baron the medal of St. Anne, 1st class. In New York, a Baron de Gün-zburg Fund was started, the interest of which was given periodically as a premium for the best work on Jewish history and literature.

Of all the numerous Joseph Günz-burg descendants, only Horace’s fam-ily remained in Russia until the revolu-tion of 1917. (To be continued in the November issue.)

GulfBeaches ORT Chapter 2015 fundraising efforts benefit ORT in Is-rael. Please help us with our financial challenge by mailing your renewal or donation check, payable to ORT Amer-ica, to Hella Amelkin, 3200 Gulf Shore Blvd. N, #307, Naples, FL 34103.

ORGANIZATIONS

Check out our redesigned website at www.hjhswfl.org

24 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties ORGANIZATIONS

GENERATIONS OF THE SHOAH SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

(239) 963-9347

HADASSAHCollier/Lee Chapter

(239) 598-1009

L’CHAYIM Guidelines

for PublicationDEADLINES: 5 p.m. on the 5th of each month for all articles and photos. If the 5th falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline is the following business day.

WORD LIMITS:600 words for temples and organiza-tions providing materials for their respective sections. Those exceeding these limits will be edited to fit.

SUBMISSIONS: Email: [email protected] should be sent as text files, Word files, or Rich Text Format files. Receipt will be acknowledged if requested. Photos may be submitted electronically; high-resolution JPG or TIF formats preferred.

BAT YAM TEMPLE OF THE ISLANDSSanibel

(239) 395-2544www.batyam.org

October is the last “off season” month for Bat Yam. Lay-led services continue for those already in Sanibel and the sur-rounding communities and any guests. President Marty Pokedoff and the con-gregation wish to thank those who so graciously agreed to lead services until Rabbi Myra Soifer and Cantor Doug Renfroe return in November when our regular season begins. All Shabbat ser-vices for October will begin at 7:00 p.m. Those who volunteered to be lay leaders in October include:

• October 2 – Tanya and Michael Hochschild

• October 9 – Marcia and Rabbi James Rudin

• October 16 – Ann Arnoff

Lynn WeinerThe first Hadassah Meeting and Lun-cheon of the season will be held on Tuesday, October 27 at 10:45 a.m. at the Club at Olde Cypress in North Na-ples. You won’t want to miss hearing our esteemed speaker, Professor Ber-told Fridlender, President of Hadas-sah Academic College in Jerusalem. Prof. Fridlender was born and raised in Chile. He holds a master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Chile and a doctoral degree in Medical Microbiology and Immunology from UCLA. He was founder and Chair of the Biotechnology Program at Hadas-sah Academic College and also served as visiting professor at Rutgers Uni-versity. Prof Fridlender is the author of over fifty scientific publications in prestigious journals, and has served as Managing Director and CEO of sev-eral biotechnology start-up companies in Israel, Italy and the U.S. He is also the coordinator of the research consor-tium, “Bio-Xplore,” which identifies Mediterranean plants with medicinal capabilities. This consortium includes scientific partners from Israel, Spain and Greece. Associates (male affiliates of Hadassah) are encouraged to attend. Please join us as we hear about the fu-ture of Hadassah Academic College.

We will also be electing our 2016 Slate of Officers at the Luncheon. Nominees include co-Presidents - Kar-en Cohn and Gayle Dorio, Member-ship Vice Presidents - Donna Gold-blatt, Carol Hirsch and Roberta Ury,

Education/Program Vice President - Elyse Mo-rande, Fundraising Vice President - Ruth Barber, co-Treasurers - Elissa

Goldstein and Fran Nossen, Corre-sponding Secretary - Iris Shur, and Re-cords Administrator - Carol Weisberg. For details about the luncheon, contact Elyse Morande at 239.498.0623 or [email protected], or Lanny Rash-baum at 239.591.8624 or [email protected].

Our Daytime Study Group will re-sume on Monday, October 19 at 1:00 p.m. at Temple Shalom. Members will be studying the book Jews, God and History 2nd Edition by Max Dimont. Join the group for lunch at 11:30 a.m. at First Watch on the corner of Pine Ridge and Livingston Roads in Naples. To add your name to the group list, contact Arlene Yedid at 239.455.1919 or [email protected].

The Evening Activity Group will have its Welcome Back Pot Luck Din-ner on Sunday, November 1 at 5:30 p.m. at a private home. Our guest speaker will be Susan Lafer, President of Florida Central Region of Hadassah. She will fill us in on the latest in Ha-dassah. Associates, spouses, prospec-tive members and friends are welcome. Space is limited. To RSVP and to be put on the email list, call Lauren Beck-er at 239.592.5304.

We are having a New, Prospec-tive and Transfer Member Brunch on Sunday, October 25 at 11:00 a.m. at the home of one of our members. Learn about Hadassah and meet new friends. RSVP to Donna Goldblatt at [email protected].

Give the gift of a Hadassah Mem-

bership to a friend or relative! Under Hadassah’s “Gifting Campaign,” any Hadassah Life Member or Associate can give free gift memberships. The gifted member must be a U.S. resident and at least 17 years old. The member-ship is valid for a new member and cannot be used to renew annual mem-berships. It is an annual membership and runs for one year from the date of enrollment of the gifted member. For more information, contact Donna Goldblatt at [email protected].

Have you seen our new Hadassah

Happenings e-bulletin? Each month, Shelley Skelton, our bulletin editor, works tirelessly to create and send out our full color e-bulletin. If you are a member and are not receiving the e-bulletin or if your email address has changed, please let Shelley know at 239.301.0509 or [email protected]. If you would like to receive the e-bul-letin only (not the mailed hard copy), please contact Shelley.

Hope to see you at a Hadassah ac-tivity soon!

GenShoah meeting and screening of The Voyage of the St. LouisIda MargolisSunday, October 18 at 4:30 p.m. will be the first meeting of the 2015-2016 season for GenShoah of Southwest Florida. At 5:00 p.m., Steve Brazina, GenShoah program chair, will present a public screening of the film The Voy-age of the St. Louis. Both the meeting and film will be held at Beth Tikvah, 1459 Pine Ridge Road, Naples. Gen-Shoah meetings are generally held from October to April on the third Sunday of the month from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Meetings and programs are open not only to children of Holocaust survivors (the Second Generation), but to all those who are interested in the mission of GenShoah which is: Preser-vation of the history and memories of the Holocaust, promotion of Holocaust education and human rights, connec-

tion of members of the Second Generation with one another, and support of the Holocaust Muse-um & Education Center

of Southwest Florida. GenShoah pres-ents films, speakers and special events throughout the season and are listed in the box at right.

The Voyage of the St. Louis is the tragic story of 937 German Jewish ref-ugees who attempted to reach Cuba in 1939 and were refused haven by every country in the Americas. The ordeal of the refugee ship St. Louis has become a symbol of the world’s indifference to the plight of European Jewry on the eve of the Holocaust. There are numer-ous books, films and articles about this event. In fact, the keynote speaker for this year’s Kristallnacht Commemora-tion, author Martin Goldsmith, will be talking about his book Alex’s Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St. Louis to Flee Nazi German and a Grandson’s Journey of Love and Remembrance.

Because of importance of this event, GenShoah will be bringing a special display about the St. Louis to Temple Shalom on Wednesday, Feb-ruary 10, 2016. At 7:00 p.m., Rob-ert Krakow, the producer of the film Complicit: The Untold Story of Why the Roosevelt Administration Denied Safe Haven to Jewish Refugees, will be presenting his film. Complicit con-tains archival footage of the St. Louis, and explores the controversial topic of FDR and the U.S. State Department’s response to the Holocaust. The display about the St. Louis will be available for viewing at 6:30 p.m. A discussion with the producer and a St. Louis survivor will take place after the film.

Space is limited and reservations are required for all GenShoah events. Donations so that GenShoah can con-tinue to present exceptional program-ming will be requested and are greatly appreciated. If you are interested in at-tending meetings or events, would like more information about GenShoah, or would like to receive email notifica-tions, contact me at [email protected] or 239.963.9347.

SAVE THE DATE: ¡ Monday, October 19: Daytime Study Group, 1:00 p.m., Temple Shalom ¡ Sunday, October 25: New, Prospective, Transfer Member Brunch, 11:00 a.m. ¡ Tuesday, October 27: Fall Opening Meeting and Luncheon,

Speaker - Prof. Bertold Fridlender, President, Hadassah Academic College, 10:45 a.m., The Club at Olde Cypress

¡ Sunday, November 1: Evening Activity Group Welcome Back Dinner, 5:30 p.m.

¡ Thursday, November 5: Evening Activity Group ¡ Monday, November 16: Daytime Study Group, 1:00 p.m., Temple Shalom ¡ Wednesday, November 18: Knowledge & Nosh @ Noon, 11:30 a.m.,

BRIO, Speaker: Journalist David Silverberg ¡ Thursday, December 10: Evening Activity Group Chanukah Pot Luck

Dinner, 6:30 p.m. ¡ Saturday-Sunday, December 12-13: Installation of Chapter Officers and

Region Board Meeting, Tampa ¡ Sunday, December 20: Major Donors/Keepers of the Gate Recognition

Event, 10:30 a.m., Quail West Country Club, Speaker: Prof. Eyal Banin from Hadassah Hospital

¡ Monday, December 21: Daytime Study Group, 1:00 p.m., Temple Shalom ¡ Thursday, January 14: Evening Activity Group, 7:00 p.m. ¡ Tuesday, January 19: Daytime Study Group, 1:00 p.m., Temple Shalom ¡ Thursday, Jan 21: One Book Southwest Florida Speaker, Temple Shalom ¡ Tuesday, January 26: Chapter Installation Luncheon, Blue Zones Speaker,

10:45 a.m., Bonita Bay Country Club ¡ Monday, February 1: Annual Mahj and Card Party, 11:30 a.m.,

Cypress Woods Country Club

GenShoah of SWFL: Upcoming Meetings & Public Programs

Sunday, October 184:30 p.m.: Meeting5:00 p.m.: Film - The Voyage of the St. Louis - co-sponsored by the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue - Tragic story of German Jewish refugees’ attempt to reach Cuba in 1939Beth Tikvah, 1459 Pine Ridge Rd., Naples

Sunday, November 154:30 p.m.: Meeting5:00 p.m.: Film - The Trial of Adolf Eichmann - Actual trial footage and emotional recollection provide insight and contrasting perspectives of the Eichmann legacyBeth Tikvah, 1459 Pine Ridge Rd., Naples

Sunday December 204:30 p.m.: Potluck dinner at member’s home Sunday, January 17, 2016 4:30 p.m.: Meeting 5:00 p.m.: Film - Facing Fear - Haunting account of an attack on a young gay boy by a neo-Nazi skinhead and their chance meeting twenty-five years later, and their journey of forgiveness and reconciliationHolocaust Museum, 4760 Tamiami Tr. N., Naples

Special Community Event:Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.Mark Weitzman, Director of Government Affairs and the Task Force Against Hate and Terrorism for the Simon Wiesenthal Center is the keynote speaker on The Sunflower, the “One Book SWFL” selectionTemple Shalom, 4630 Pine Ridge Rd., Naples

Special Community Event:Wednesday, February 10, 20166:30 p.m.: Display about the S.S. St. Louis7:00 p.m.: Film - Complicit: The Untold Story of Why the Roosevelt Administration Denied Safe Haven to Jewish Refugees; followed by a discussion with the producer and an S.S. St. Louis survivor - Explores the controversial topic of FDR’s and the U.S. State Department’s response to the HolocaustTemple Shalom, 4630 Pine Ridge Rd., Naples

Sunday, February 21, 20164:30 p.m.: Meeting 5:00 p.m.: Presentation by Maud Dahme, Holocaust educator, subject of the film The Hidden Child, and inductee in the New Jersey Hall of FameHolocaust Museum, 4760 Tamiami Tr. N., Naples

Sunday, March 20, 20164:30 p.m.: Meeting 5:00 p.m.: Film - Hitler’s Courts: Betrayal of the Rule of Law in Nazi GermanyExamination, using interviews and archival footage, of how those charged with defending the rule of law betrayed that trust during the Nazi eraHolocaust Museum, 4760 Tamiami Tr. N., Naples

Sunday, April 17, 20164:30 p.m.: Meeting5:00 p.m.: Program TBA

RSVP required for all events.Contact Ida Margolis at [email protected]

or 239.963.9347.

25 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte CountiesTEMPLE NEWS

TEMPLE JUDEAFort Myers

(239) 433-0201www.tjswfl.org

October is a busy month at Temple Judea. On Friday evening, October 2, the congregation will hold a Consecra-tion ceremony for its 3rd and 4th grade religious school students and a Sukkot dinner to officially welcome their new Director of Congregational Learning, Liz Singer. On Sunday, October 4 at 5:30 p.m., there will be a spaghetti and Erev Simchat Torah family dinner.

Friday evening, October 9 brings TJ’s PJ’s, aka Jammies and Jeans

Shabbat, a young family-friendly Shabbat service that will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner. TJ’s PJ’s takes place the second Friday of each month.

On Sunday, October 11 at 11:00 a.m., Rabbi Sack begins his “Introduc-tion to Judaism” class, open to anyone interested in learning more about Juda-ism.

The congregation is excited to wel-come Abdul Haq Muhammed, Director of the Quality Life Center, as the guest speaker at Shabbat dinner on Friday evening, October 23, following ser-vices. Mr. Muhammed will talk about the amazing work the center does for

the community. Dinner reservations are required. The cost is $18/adult and $8/child. Children 3 and under are free.

Temple Judea’s Sisterhood, Cha-verot, has a busy schedule with many events planned throughout the year. On Tuesday, October 20, members will visit the Koreshan Historical Site to learn more about its history. On Tues-day, November 3, Sisterhood will have a “You Asked For It” brunch at the Wisteria Tea Room and Café.

Rabbi Sack will continue to lead his Lunchtime Torah Study at the of-fices of Myers, Brettholtz & Company on Thursdays, October 1 and Novem-ber 5 at noon.

All programs are open to the en-tire community. For more information

about Temple Judea or upcoming pro-grams, and to make reservations, call the synagogue office at 239.433.0201 or email [email protected]. Regular scheduled events:

• Friday evening Shabbat services at 6:30 p.m.

• Saturday morning Shabbat servic-es at 9:30 a.m.

• Lunchtime Torah study with Rabbi Sack the first Thursday of each month

• TJ’s PJ’s on the second Friday of each month at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner

• Morning minyan every Monday at 9:00 a.m.

BAT YAM TEMPLE OF THE ISLANDSSanibel

(239) 395-2544www.batyam.org

October is the last “off season” month for Bat Yam. Lay-led services continue for those already in Sanibel and the sur-rounding communities and any guests. President Marty Pokedoff and the con-gregation wish to thank those who so graciously agreed to lead services until Rabbi Myra Soifer and Cantor Doug Renfroe return in November when our regular season begins. All Shabbat ser-vices for October will begin at 7:00 p.m. Those who volunteered to be lay leaders in October include:

• October 2 – Tanya and Michael Hochschild

• October 9 – Marcia and Rabbi James Rudin

• October 16 – Ann Arnoff

• October 23 – Dorothy and Doug Renfroe• October 30 – Dorothy and Doug Renfroe

Many thanks to Stan Zell for his persever-ance in organizing and

scheduling lay leadership for the Fri-day evening services. Becky Kon will continue to coordinate pre-service din-ner plans at a restaurant for those who are interested in joining the group. She can be reached at 239.454.7852 or [email protected].

Another successful Rosh Hasha-nah honey jar sale was organized by Ann Arnoff.

For the first time in Bat Yam his-tory, the Yom Kippur dairy Break the Fast was catered. Many thanks to Es-ther Pokedoff and Miriam Bailey for their coordination so that worshippers were able to enjoy the meal at the con-clusion of the memorial services.

A variety of Adult Education class-

es will begin on Saturday, November 7. Volunteer presenters will speak on aspects of “Jews and the Diaspora.” There will be a Yiddish class begin-ning in December. In addition to a He-brew class, Rabbi Soifer will conduct a Saturday series of classes on “What does Judaism say about sex, gender and beginning of life issues?” Beginning Thursday, November 12, Rabbi Soifer will resume “Talmud for Lunch Bunch.”

The Interfaith Shared Scholar Committee has announced that Sun-day, January 17 is the date for the 2016 program. The featured speaker will be Dr. Zeki Saritopak, founder and former president of the Rumi Forum for In-terfaith Dialogue in Washington, D.C. Mark your calendar for this outstand-ing program. It is free and open to the public. The Shared Scholar program is co-sponsored by Bat Yam Temple of the Islands, the Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, First

Church Christ Scientist and Captiva Chapel by the Sea. Bat Yam’s sponsor-ship is funded by the Leo Rosner Foun-dation in honor of June Rosner.

A Hanukkah party is being planned for Friday, December 11, before ser-vices. It will feature holiday fare such as latkes. Details to follow.

Rabbi Soifer and Reverend John Danner will again co-teach classes scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 20 and 27, 2016.

On Thursday, January 28, 2016, members and supporters of Bat Yam will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a party set for 6:00 p.m. at the Sanctu-ary clubhouse on Sanibel.

Bat Yam sends wishes for contin-ued healing to Shirley Bleiberg, David Crown, Marty Friedman, Marge Kall-man, Hartley Kleinberg, Jack Kohn, Judith Mayer, June and Hal Patinkin, Esther Pokedoff, William Schlackman, Barbara Schwartz, Orlene Shimberg and Alex Stone.

Happenings e-bulletin? Each month, Shelley Skelton, our bulletin editor, works tirelessly to create and send out our full color e-bulletin. If you are a member and are not receiving the e-bulletin or if your email address has changed, please let Shelley know at 239.301.0509 or [email protected]. If you would like to receive the e-bul-letin only (not the mailed hard copy), please contact Shelley.

Hope to see you at a Hadassah ac-tivity soon!

TEMPLE BETH EL REFORM 16225 Winkler Road, Fort Myers, FL 33908 Rabbi Robert Ourach E-mail: [email protected] educator: Dale Cohen, Ma.Ed., R.J.EPreschool director: Jesyca VirnigCantor: Victor GeignerPresident: Russ BogenPhone: 433-0018 • Fax: 433-3235Web site: www.templebethel.comShabbat services: 7:30 p.m. Friday; Torah study9:00 a.m. Saturday; B’nai Mitzah 10:30 a.m. SaturdayReligious School: 9:30 a.m.-noon SundayConfirmation class: 6 p.m. WednesdayHebrew School: Wednesday 5:30 p.m.Judaica Gift GalleryAffiliated: Union for Reform Judaism

TEMPLE BETH SHALOM REFORM 702 S.E. 24th Ave., Cape Coral, FL 33990 Rabbi Devora Buchen President: Arnie Schwartz Phone: 772-4555 • Fax: 772-4625 E-mail: [email protected] site: www.templebethshalomcc.orgServices: 7:30 p.m. FridayReligious School: Thursday 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.Torah study with Rabbi Buchen: Shabbat 10:30 a.m.Organizations: Brotherhood, Sisterhood,Family Service (1st Friday of the month at 7:30 p.m.)

BAT YAM TEMPLE OF THE ISLANDS REFORM Meets at Sanibel Congregational Church 2050 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel Island Rabbi Myra Soifer President: Martin Pokedoff Music Director: Douglas Renfroe Phone: 395-2544 Web site: www.batyam.org Services: 7:00 p.m. Friday Adult Education: Saturday, 9:00 - 11:15 a.m. (Nov. - Apr.) Jewish Current Events: Saturday, 11:30 a.m.to 12:15 p.m. Write: P.O. Box 84, Sanibel, FL 33957 Affiliated: Union for Reform Judaism(formerly UAHC)

TEMPLE SHALOM CHARLOTTE HARBOR AND THE GULF ISLANDS REFORM 23190 Utica Ave., P.O. Box 494675 Port Charlotte, FL 33949-4675 Rabbi Solomon Agin President: Carol Roark Phone: (941) 625-2116 E-mail: [email protected] site: templeshalomfl.comServices: 7:30 p.m. FridayReligious school: Sunday 10 a.m.Beginning Hebrew: Tuesday 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.Advanced Hebrew: Thursday 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.Organizations: SisterhoodAffiliated: Union for Reform Judaism

CHABAD OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY ORTHODOX 204 E Mckenzie St Unit B, Punta Gorda, FL 33950 Rabbi Simon Jacobson Phone: (941) 833-3381 E-mail: [email protected] site: www.chabadofcharlottecounty.comServices: Saturday at 10 a.m. followed bya kiddushTorah study: Wednesday at 8 p.m.

CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ORTHODOX 5620 Winkler Road Fort Myers, FL 33919 Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz Phone: 433-7708 • Fax: 481-9109 E-mail: [email protected] site: www.chabadswf.orgServices: Friday 5:15 p.m.; Saturday Kabbalahclass 9 a.m.; Shacharit 10 a.m.; Kiddush at noonMinyan: Monday & Thursday 7:00 a.m.

CHABAD OF CAPE CORAL ORTHODOX 1716 Cape Coral Pkwy. W., Cape Coral, FL 33914 Rabbi Yossi Labkowski Phone: 541-1777 • Fax: 465-4942 E-mail: [email protected] site: www.chabadcape.comServices: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 9:30 amfollowed by Kiddush luncheon; Sunday at 8 a.m.;Monday - Friday at 7:00 a.m.Weekly Torah study: Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.Chassidic Farbrengen: Thursday at 7:30 p.m.Hebrew school: Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Mini Chefs: Wednesday 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.CTeens: Wednesday 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS • AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee):Jacki Waksman — (954) 653-9053• AJC (American Jewish Committee):Brian Lipton — (941) 365-4955• Anti-Defamation League: (561) 988-2900• B’Nai B’rith International: (941) 302-4500• Chevra Kadisha:Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz — 433-7708• Generations of the Shoah SWFL: 963-9347• Hadassah - Collier/Lee Chapter:Lynn Weiner — 598-1009• Hadassah - Sharon Chapter (Charlotte County):Odette Port — (941) 505-1409• Hazak 55+ Chapter:Joyce Rosinger — 437-1566• Humanistic Jewish Havurah:Paula Creed — 495-8484• Israel Bonds: Regional Headquarters: (800) 622-8017• Jewish Community Services: 481-4449• Jewish National FundMemorial Tree Planting in Israel — (727) 536-5263• Jewish War Veterans:Post 400: Commander Harvey Charter — 561-6535• Mikvah Bashka of Southwest Florida:Nechamie Minkowicz — 822-2784• Naples Jewish Social Club:Arnold Bresnick — 566-1126• ORT - Gulf Beaches ChapterMarina Berkovich — 566-1771

IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES

COMMUNITY FREE SYNAGOGUE REFORM 10868 Metro Parkway, South Fort Myers (The Southwest Florida Masonic Center) P.O. Box 07144, Fort Myers, FL 33919 Rabbi Bruce Diamond ([email protected]) Coordinator: Natalie Fulton ([email protected]) Music director: Diane Coffman Phone: (239) 274-7485 E-mail: [email protected] site: www.fortmyerssynagogue.com Community Sabbath eve dinner each Friday at 6:30 p.m.Sabbath eve worship every Friday at 7:30 p.m. Light breakfast and Torah study with the rabbi every Saturday morning from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

TEMPLE JUDEA CONSERVATIVE 14486 A&W Bulb Road, Fort Myers, FL 33908 Rabbi Marc Sack E-mail: [email protected]: Brian Simon & Robert Thomas Director of Congregational Learning: Elizabeth SingerPreschool Director: Joann Goldman [email protected]: 433-0201 • Fax: 433-3371E-mail: [email protected] site: www.tjswfl.orgServices: 6:15 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. Saturday Minyan: 9:00 a.m. MondayReligious School: Sun. 9:30 a.m.-noon;Wed. 4:30-6 p.m.Early childhood education:Preschool, M-F, ages 18 months-5 years;“Mommy & Me,” 12 months-2 yearsAffiliated: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

CHABAD OF BONITA SPRINGS/ESTERO ORTHODOX 24850 Old 41 Road, Suite 20 (in the Bernwood Centre) Bonita Springs, FL 34135-7024 Rabbi Mendy Greenberg Phone: 949-6900 Web site: www.JewishBonita.com Services: Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by a kiddush

26 L' CHAY IM OCTOBER 20 1 5 Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties TEMPLE NEWS

TEMPLE SHALOMCharlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands

(941) 625-2116www.templeshalomfl.com

TEMPLE BETH ELFort Myers

(239) 433-0018www.templebethel.com

COMMUNITY FREE SYNAGOGUEFort Myers

(239) 274-7485www.fortmyerssynagogue.com

Sabbath Morning Breakfast and Torah Study on Saturday, October 3 will take place in the Jewish Federation Com-munity Room, 9701 Commerce Center Court in South Fort Myers.

The Community Free Synagogue will offer a six-week class in readings from The Kitzur Shulhan Arukh (The Abbreviated Code of Jewish Law), taught by Rabbi Diamond from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on consecutive Thursdays starting October 8 at its home at 10868

Metro Parkway. There is no charge.

On Sunday, Novem-ber 22, the Community Free Synagogue will send a bus of participants to the “Sofer on Site”

workshop in North Miami Beach to purchase another Torah scroll for the congregation. To reserve your place on the bus email [email protected] or call the synagogue’s message center at 239.274.7485. There is no charge, but lunch is a la carte at the Red Apple Jewish Deli.

Save Sunday evening, December 6, the first night of Hanukah, for the synagogue’s 10th Anniversary Banquet and new Torah dedication. For more

information, please visit the C.F.S. website at www.fortmyerssynagogue.com.

Heartfelt thanks to our Shirat Hay-am Musical Ensemble musicians and vocalists and all those who helped with the set-up and greeting during our High Holiday worship. We are also grate-ful for the dozens of participants who helped erect our sukkah and welcome the Feast of Tabernacles on Sunday afternoon, September 27.

Each Friday evening at 6:30 p.m., The Community Free Synagogue serves a traditional Sabbath dinner. It is free and reservations are never re-quired. At 7:30 p.m., the Sabbath is welcomed with prayer and music of-fered by the synagogue’s Shirat Hayam

Musical Ensemble. A coffee hour fol-lows worship.

Every Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., C.F.S. offers a light breakfast followed by a lively discussion of the week’s Torah portion until 11:30 a.m.

The purpose of The Community Free Synagogue, led by Rabbi Bruce Diamond, is “Study, Worship and Be-nevolent Acts” practiced tradition-ally but with progressive values. The synagogue does not sell memberships or solicit funds. All of its events and programs, including youth and adult Jewish education, are open to all and always free.

TEMPLE BETH SHALOMCape Coral

(239) 772-4555www.templebethshalomcc.org

Temple Beth Shalom is the only Re-form temple in Cape Coral. It is located in a section near to North Fort Myers and Fort Myers. From US 41, north of the bridge, go east on Hancock Bridge to 24th Ave., and south to the Temple Beth Shalom marquee.

Visitors are always welcomed on Friday nights for the Shabbat Kabba-lat Service and the Oneg Shabbat af-terwards. Services begin slightly after 7:30 p.m. The first Friday of the month is Family Night, with special attention to the youth of the temple and young

visitors. Rabbi Buchen directs her attention to bringing all youth closer to a comfortable relation-ship with Judaism and with prayer.

High Holiday Ser-vices always attract locals and visitors to the temple with the sounds of Tem-ple Beth Shalom’s choir, even though a fee is required to help support the synagogue.

Saturday morning Torah Study at-tracts many members to understand the modern meaning of lessons in the To-rah. Religious School, every Thursday at 4:30 p.m., attracts parents to enroll their children for a more meaningful relationship with Jewish heritage, with the Hebrew language, and with cus-toms and holidays. Religious School is

free for children of parents who have become temple members.

Temple Beth Shalom Sisterhood has upcoming events like “Bingo and Tacos and Salad, Oy Vey!” on Satur-day, October 10. Doors open at 5:00 p.m., dinner is at 6:00 p.m. and Bingo at 7:00 p.m. The cost is $20 per per-son. Next they have Rosh Chodesh on Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. Certified Yoga Instructor Tobi Gold will lead us in some gentle chair yoga exercises. Chair is emphasized so that everyone can participate; no floor work required. Tobi will be bringing the snacks and all we have to do is show up dressed in comfy clothes.

After that, Sisterhood is sponsor-ing “How to Taste Wine Like a Pro” on Wednesday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m. The cost is $15 per person and $12

per designated driver. Join The Wine Whisperer, Jerry Greenfield, as he teaches you everything you wanted to know about paring food and wine. In-terested ladies from inside and outside the temple family may contact Fern Deutch at [email protected].

Brotherhood is gearing up for its year, too, with the Sunday morning bowling league, ushering for Rosh Ha-shanah and Friday nights, poker, and trips planned to sporting events. What makes Temple Beth Shalom special to most visitors is the warm and wel-coming atmosphere everyone exudes – from Rabbi Buchen to Brotherhood greeters, to members who always ap-proach newcomers to greet and meet them.

Our children are back in school, sum-mer vacations are technically behind us, and Temple Beth El is settling in for a busy season of activities available to everyone.

We begin the month with a magi-cal celebration of Simchat Torah with a service, dinner and wedding vow

renewal on Tuesday, October 6. Sisterhood’s monthly Mah Jongg tournament will be held on Wednesday, October 14. For further informa-tion of how you can join

this very popular event, please visit our website at www.templebethel.com.

Sisterhood is also busy making plans for its paid-up dinner and fash-ion show on Tuesday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. We look forward to honoring members of our King David Society Endowment Group at a cocktail gath-

ering at the home of Karen and Mike Weiss on Sunday, October 18. On Fri-day, October 23, you’re all invited to join us in the Dubin Center at 6:30 p.m. for a wine and cheese reception prior to Shabbat services.

The Learning Tree Preschool of Temple Beth El is holding its major fundraising Soiree on Saturday eve-ning, October 24. It is open to anyone who wants to have a good time while supporting this outstanding preschool.

Temple Beth El welcomes our newest members: Robert and Shelah Luber, Michael and Diana Sills, Meir

and Rie Daller, and Deborah Trust. We are delighted to have you join our tem-ple family and pledge to make your ex-perience as meaningful as possible. We are equally delighted to be celebrating the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs of three of our students this month. Mazel Tov to Brianna Levy, Ian Calder and Brianna Murray.

For details on these events and much more available to you at Temple Beth El, please visit our website at www.templebethel.com.

Temple Shalom is “alive and well” and getting ready for another active sea-son. The program/calendar committee of Rabbi Agin, Odette Port, Marlene Friedman, Judi Migdol and Naomi Alexander have been working all sum-mer to make things happen for the New Year 5776.

On Sunday, October 4 at 5:00 p.m. there will be a Shemini Atzeret/Yizkor Service followed by unrolling the To-rah scroll to honor Simchat Torah. This will be followed with a lite dinner for all who are attending. Jane Galler will lead the music portion of the services.

The 92nd Street “Y” Alive Series will return for the third consecutive year starting Tuesday, October 27 at

7:00 p.m. with Dennis Ross and Alan Dershow-itz with Ethan Bronner. The topic is The U.S.-Is-rael Relationship. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments. The

series is made available through the Sylvia Hershkowitz Memorial Fund. This is free to the community.

Lunch and Learn with the Forward will return Tuesday, Octo-ber 27 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. This program is limited to 15 participants and lunch is included. This is a funded program. Call the temple office at 941.625.2116 to register.

In the planning stages is a Mission to Cuba in 2016. As the Mission takes shape the community will be in-formed. This mission will be limited.

On Saturday, October 17, join us for Relax Shabbat Services with Rab-bi, Jane and Dale. Rabbi and Jane will lead the services, lunch will be served and there will be an art ceramic class with Dale. Registration for the lunch and art program is requested.

On Friday evening, October 30, Dr. Catherine Bukovitz will be called to the Torah in honor of her becom-ing a Bat Mitzvah. Dr. Bukovitz will

not only read from the Torah and offer the D’Var Torah, but will lead Shab-bat services with Rabbi Agin assisting. Dr. Bukovitz will sponsor the Oneg Shabbat honoring this life cycle event. Shabbat services start at 7:30 p.m.

For information about other Tem-ple Shalom programs, call the temple office at 941.625.2116. Temple Shalom is Charlotte County’s only affiliated Reform congregation.







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For more information about events featured on the community calendar, please contact the sponsoring organization (see the Directory on page 25) or the Jewish Federation.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

November 2015 / 5776

131211108 14

201918171615 21

22

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

12:30 p.m. Mah Jongg


4:00 p.m. Israeli Dancing

Candle lighting: 5:18 p.m.

2423

8:15 a.m. Temple Beth El Mah Jongg Tournament


27Thanksgiving

26Thanksgiving

25 289:30 a.m. JWV Meeting4:00 p.m. Israeli Dancing

9


7


6:00 p.m. Pacesetters

9:30 a.m. L’CHAYIM mailing

For a continuously updated community calendar of events,

visit www.JewishFederationLCC.org.

To submit your organization’s or temple’s event, send an email to [email protected].

6:00 p.m. Book Club - Community Read

29 30

65Candle lighting: 5:24 p.m.

6:30 p.m. SAT Class


October 2015 / 5776

9876Simchat

Torah

4 10

161514131211 17

18

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY





2019

6:30 p.m. SAT Class


232221 2410:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Federation Board Retreat4:00 p.m. Israeli Dancing

5 SheminiAtzeret


3


6:30 p.m. SAT Class

6:30 p.m. SAT Class8:15 a.m. Temple Beth El Mah Jongg Tournament7:00 p.m. JYP Potluck Dinner6:30 p.m. SAT Class

6:30 p.m. Women’s Philanthropy Event6:30 p.m. SAT Class


2726 286:00 p.m. Book Club6:30 p.m. SAT Class

6:30 p.m. SAT Class9:30 a.m. L’CHAYIM mailing


2:00 p.m. JFed Social Club6:30 p.m. SAT Class

9:30 a.m. JWV Meeting4:00 p.m. Israeli Dancing


6:30 p.m. SAT Class

31


43111:00 a.m. Charlotte County Brunch & Movie4:00 p.m. Israeli Dancing

6:30 p.m. SAT Class2



SAVE THE DATES 2015 ~ 2016 Programs & Events

www.JewishFederationLCC.org

2015

October

22 - Author Event

November

1 - Charlotte County Community Breakfast

18 - Community Read ~ The Sunflower

19 - Pacesetters Reception

December

6 - Chanukah Senior Visits

13 - Community Breakfast

2016

January 12 - Author Event with Alliance for the Arts

14-28 - Jewish Film Festival (Tues. & Thurs.)

31 - PJ Library Program

February 2-9 - Jewish Film Festival (Tues. & Thurs.)

16 - Author Event

20 - Major Gifts Reception

March 10 - Lion of Judah

20 - Purim Carnival / Jewish Fest

April 10 - PJ Library Program

17 - Passover Senior Visits

May 1 - Holocaust Memorial Service

15 - Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration

17 - Annual Meeting

PURIM FESTIVAL

Documents

Vol. 38, No. 2 n Program notes ... · Guy Whitesman • John Wolf • Sherri Zucker Executive Director: Alan Isaacs Program Director: Leni Sack Executive Assistant: Lori Ramos Jewish